Kingdom Hearts: New Hearts
by SleepingEver
Summary: This is a new arc in the Kingdom Hearts Universe, after the Xehanort saga. It will be almost completely OC but it will have some guest stars. It will contain many new worlds and will be multi-crossover. This is going to be the first and main story, i'll write more as spin-offs that are intimately connected with the main story and a prequel leading to the main story.
1. Prologue

**Kingdom Hearts: New Hearts**

Prologue

They say that the Darkness is only evil, nothing good comes from it. The Heartless, the Nobodies are all beings of Darkness. That is untrue. This is the story of a Keybearing boy who fell into the Darkness and saved the worlds alongside it. Along with other bearers of these sacred Keys they will become the new heroes the nexus of worlds will need. And their stories would make even the Great Kingdom Hearts weep as their first meeting would be that of tragedy.

But first, a revision of the events and heroes of old that lead to the known worlds.

Roughly 60 years ago a huge battle begun between Light and Dark. Seven Warriors of Light clashed against Thirteen Vessels of Darkness. The heroes consisted of four boys, a mouse and two girls. Sora the Champion of Light, Riku conqueror of the Darkness Within and Guardian of Dawn, Lea the Flurry of Fire, Ventus the Knight of Wind, The King Of Disney Kingdom Mickey Mouse, Kairi The Radiant Queen and Aqua the Calming Ocean. Together they fought against a Corrupted Keyblade Master, Xehanort, and prevailed against him, thwarted his schemes of reshaping the Worlds in his own image and destroyed the legendary χ-blade. Though, such victory didn't come without cost. Sora's home, Destiny Islands, were completely destroyed by Xehanort's rage, swallowed by Darkness, never to be seen again.

Terra, another keyblade wielder met his end when after he regained his body from Xehanort. He used his Heart as a seal to keep him forever in the realm of Darkness. Some say that his spirit still lingers in the worlds, always traveling and never resting, making sure that the seal is intact.

Sora became the Grand Master of the Key and unofficial King of Kingdoms. He moved to Traverse Town to help his world's refugees settle there, then he moved to Radiant Garden. Kairi followed closely behind him. He was the only person who ever saw the real Kingdom Hearts, the only one to be touched by that divine Light, and he spoke about it to non-other than the reflection he saw every time he stood in front of a mirror. He lived a long and prosperous life. Some started to refer to him as God due to his immense power. He would always deflect those claims, stating he is like everybody else.

Kairi returned with Sora to Radiant Garden, her true home. There she was welcomed as a heroine and was made Princess of the World due to her status as a princess of hearts. She married Sora and together they ruled the Radiant Garden. Their children were spitting images of their parents.

Riku became a Nomad. He travelled the worlds to keep the balance between Light and Dark. He sometimes though visited his best friends Sora and Kairi and their children. He did not travel alone though. In his old age he stayed in the world known as the Mysterious Tower and taught younger keyblade wielders of the way of Dawn.

Aqua returned to Castle Oblivion and restored the World to its previous glory. The Land of Departure was restored and bettered by her. She opened an Academy to teach young keybearers the ways of Light and the World's balance. She followed Eraqus's steps but not to his extremes. She believed that this was the only way to honor her old master's memory and to prevent another Xehanort from rising.

Ventus too returned to the newly restored Land of Departure and he himself became a Master that taught young keyblade chosen ones. He and Aqua mourned the loss of their best friend Terra. They took though under their wing two very special people.

Roxas acquired a body of his own along with a heart. He became a guardian to young and untrained keybearers, seeking them wherever they were and giving them a protection and guidance until they were in the Land of Departure. Ventus and he became like twin brothers. After some years he became a full instructor in Aqua's Academy.

Lea followed Roxas and continued his training under Aqua mostly and Ventus. He silently mourned the death of his previous best friend Isa, who in the last minute came to his senses and sacrificed himself so Lea could escape from a mad and power hungry Xehanort. He married Roxas and they lived together in the Land of Departure. He too became an instructor.

Namine too acquired her own heart and body. She stayed for a while with Sora and Kairi, then she moved with Roxas and Lea but in the end she left with Riku. She left behind a letter, apologizing to the others for leaving and that it was better this way since she felt that she was becoming a weight to others. She decided to leave though because of the discovery of a concerning report of Ansem the Wise. She searched for more lost reports while she travelled with Riku. What the others didn't know except Riku was that she was plagued by dreams of a girl. A black haired girl with blue eyes that resembled Kairi, the girl in every dream asked for her help. Some say that she and Riku became lovers in their travels.

King Mickey along Donald and Goofy returned to Disney Castle and their respectful wives. They lived there together in peace. Mickey though kept a close eye to the stars now that Master Yen Sid was no more, struck down by Xehanorts overwhelming Darkness, he took upon himself to be vigilant of the worlds. Riku made regular visits to him, reporting his findings or being sent to investigations.

Vanitas one night appeared to Ventus's dreams and asked for forgiveness from him, but he was never given any. He even appeared in Sora's thanking him for allowing him to live in peace in his heart, even if it was unintentional. They say that his Keyblade carries his spirit, searching for a bearer with a strong heart to stop his suffering and set him free to join the dead.

The members of the old Organization XIII were restored to their previous whole selves and served under the rule of Sora in an attempt to atone of their Nobodies's sins, minus Lea, Isa and Braig.

Braig was destroyed once and for all by Roxas when he found him one night trying to escape to the Worlds far away after he survived the Clash of the Seven and Thirteen.

All these happened 60 years ago, and yet, Darkness still brews and rises. The threat of the Heartless exists still. Now the fate of the Worlds stands on the new generation of heroes. Will they manage to reconnect the Cosmos to the way it was before when it was showered by the eternal Light of Kingdom Hearts or they'll fail and the Darkness manages to devour the Light forever?

-Author Notes-

So this is my some what prologue. It's my first attempt publishing anything. English isn't my first language, Greek are, so you may expect some grammar issues, also my dyslexia may act up sometimes :p Also i don't know how this beta thing works and if someone is willing to Beta please PM me. I'll upload the actual introduction later the day or tomorrow. It will introduce the majority of OCs, even those that will have their own spin-offs and please leave comments with worlds you want to see. i'll read what you suggest and if i know it i'll right some adventure in that universe, if i don't know i'd be willing to read in the internet about it. Some worlds are already decided so there won't be much that i'll write from your suggestions sorry! love ya all and no flames! This may contain male/male.


	2. Chapter 1 Introductions

-Athor's notes-

So i wrote this chapter so i could introduce some of the OCs, some would be revealed in later chapters. I wanted to say that i really suck at descriptions so you've been warned if my descriptions of the characters are bad.

-Athor's notes-

Chapter 1: Intro

 **Black City/Snow-Pyro**

"So, what's this world Pyro?" asked a boy from atop a skyscraper, sitting on the edge with his feet dangling.

The boy was of average height, around 5 and 9 feet tall. His build was lean and strong as his black and blue skin-suit revealed his toned body. His hairs were short and messy, dark as the night that hanged on his oval face. His blue deep hooded almond shaped eyes stared coldly at the roofs of the shorter buildings. His nose was straight, if not a little pointy. His skin was pale and smooth. He couldn't have been older than seventeen.

"Black City, it's called," said a young man who sat right next to the boy. He was wearing a black coat that covered his whole body. Only his face was revealed. Red protruding round eyes stared at the dark horizon. His face was square shaped with a prominent jawline, his skin was tanned. His dark blond hair fell on his head like a mop. He must have been in his early twenties. He seemed to be more muscled than the other boy and taller too. "This is the most boring world I've visited. It's governed by an ignorant wizard. And it's also my homeworld… well my Somebody's home."

"Heh, let's just say that my homeworld is way more boring than you might think. And trust me Washington DC is THE most boring place, considering all I've seen and have yet to see in the worlds," said the young boy as he turned to glance at the man next to him.

"Snow, if your world is so boring, then why try save it?" inquired Pyro as he produced a bag from behind him. 'Granny's Sweets Bakery' showed in a logo on the bag. He fished out a doughnut before he offered the bag to the boy.

The boy named Snow took the bag and grinned at his friend. "Thanks! And there's still my family there, Ma and Ba, my… brothers," he informed and took a cookie out of the bag and ate it with a bite. "Mmm, vanilla…" he moaned as he took another cookie.

"With your sweet teeth I wonder if I fade into the darkness first or your teeth fall before that," Pyro grinned as he bit at his doughnut.

Snow moaned again, but this time in annoyance. "Way to ruin the mood Nobody…"

The man huffed a laugh smiled softly, "please Snow, name calling? That's for kiddies. Now, come on, eat up. Fast now because we've got to return to the Castle."

The other in response exhaled a breath and glanced at his friend. "Fine, but next time we'll stay more, especially after a complete mission," he said with finality in his voice.

"Deal, but only if you train more too," Pyro concluded.

"You know, someday you'll need to learn that not all of us want to be buffs like you, neither do we want to lift trucks… small cars are enough," Snow finished stuffing his mouth with as many cookies as he could. His thin rosy lips were white by the sugar and crumbs.

Pyro didn't respond, he just took a napkin and cleaned his younger friend's cheek and lips. Snow glanced at him, not weirded out by Pyro's behavior at all. He had gotten used to it by now. "You need to be ready for everything, and for that you need to train constantly."

Snow put another cookie in his mouth ignoring Pyro's words as he stood up on the edge. He crumbled the bag from the bakery and threw it down. He cleaned his lips with the back of his gloved palms and glanced at the man who was slowly standing up.

"You open a path," stated simply Pyro.

Snow lifted his right hand in front of him; a black aura surrounded his outstretched hand for a short time before darkness flashed on his palm and a weird sword materialized on his grasp, the sword resembled a key. Its handle was shaped like a gear colored black and blue. The blade was black and long while the teeth were like a half gear. The sword was a Keyblade, one of the most powerful weapons and tools in all of the worlds.

"Shall we?" Snow asked sarcastically.

He pointed his Keyblade in front of him and weird looking portal opened, black and purple in color. He gave his friend a last glance while a black helmet materialized around his face. It was all made of black glass. The symbol of a snowflake was embedded on it. He jumped inside the portal with Pyro lipping right after him.

 **Wastelands/ Haruki- Lily**

An armored figure walked, or actually dragged his feet in the scorching heat of the Wasteland's dessert. He was around 5 and 8 feet tall, though his armor concealed any other detail. He seemed exhausted as even his gigantic key-like sword was dragged on his side. The sword was like an oversized key, its guard golden and the grip black. The whole blade was circular and the teeth were like a normal key. Suddenly he came to a stop and raised his Keyblade to the sky, a beam shot from the tip of his Keyblade. Then a large beam fell unto him and he was beamed away.

He appeared inside the cockpit of a funny looking spaceship. It was quite spacious. In front of him were the ship's controls and two seats, and behind him were two doors, one of which opened on its own and a young girl walked into the cockpit, she looked as tall as him. She must have been eighteen years-old. She had light blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, brown honey round eyes and a cute little nose that complemented her heart-shaped face. She wore a green tank-top which showed her navel, she also wore tight shorts that reached her knees. Her pink sneakers squeaked on the metallic floor.

"Haruki, how did it go?" she asked with a cheerful, if not sarcastic tone in her sweet voice. Her full lips carved a smirk.

The figure growled lowly and punched his right shoulder. His whole body glowed brightly and his armor vanished revealing an eighteen years-old boy. He was dark haired and his face was round. His skin was tanned by the summer sun. His deep upturned lush-forest green eyes glared daggers at the girl. He pursed his pale lips in annoyance. He wore a simple white t-shirt and a white and gold checkered jacket. He also sported black sweat shorts.

"I'll take that as a no…" she said slowly but the sarcasm never left her voice.

"I'm never going to listen to that girl again," he finally said as he bent down to take off his black and gold flame themed boots.

"Why? Melody always gives us the right info, were her intel wrong?" she was now confused. She walked to the controls and pressed a few buttons and the ship shook as it started to move. "I set course for home, we'll report this to Master, okay?"

He nodded and straightened his back. In his one hand he grasped his boots. "I'm going to take a nap, wake me when we arrive, okay Lily?" he asked walking to the door which she had come in.

"Aye, aye captain," she fake saluted and sat on one of the two seats of the cockpit.

She watched as the boy walked to the other room muttering about how they should respect him since he is taking his Mark of Mastery and he is trained under a real Master while the others were just wannabes. She shook her head and smiled sweetly at his back. She turned her gaze to the controls and watched the space, her smile still on her lips.

 **Radiant Garden, Castle outskirts/ Luna-Stella**

A tall girl stormed the streets of Radiant Town on the outskirts of the Castle, another shorter girl run behind her shouting at her. The first one was pale skinned around 5 and 7 feet, her hairs were caught in a raven bun with white streaks. She was clothed with a loose dark gray blouse and form-fitting black pants. Her full lips were red with lipstick and she put mascara around her gray round protruding eyes. An earring that resembled the moon adorned her right ear. Her expression was that of an extremely angry bull as she tried to walk fast with her high heels. She looked to be around seventeen years old.

The younger girl was a lot shorter than the other, around 5 and 4 feet tall. She wore more casual clothes, a zipped up jacket and warm-looking pants. In addition to that she wore pink runner shoes. Her hairs were light brown, long and wavy. She too had an earring on her left ear, hers though had a star. Her own protruding round gray eyes were wide open as she chased after the other girl.

"Come on Luna, don't be mad!" exclaimed the short girl as she waved her hands around.

"Shut up, Stella!" Luna yelled in anger. "You started shouting in front of him that I was a Keyblader. Why? Why would you say that? You know I like him and apparently he likes me for who exactly I am."

"Aha!" exclaimed again the girl. "You admit that he likes you the way you are, so he will still like you!" Stella tried to reason with Luna.

Steam came off Luna's ears as she turned around to glare at Stella. "Here's where you're wrong. He liked me for being a shy and quite girl that was awkward all the time around him, not the KEYBEARING, shy and quite girl who is against the law which says that every Keybearer is required to have a Master to train under and to be subscripted to one of the Academies unless they possess the Mark of Mastery which you gain from a Master," She stopped to breath in and then out. "Okay we go home, change, pack our things and leave before the royal Knights come to our doorstep."

"What!" Stella cried out in surprise. "You can't be serious! Where would we go? We can't leave again!"

"Oh yes we can, and we should. Remember two years ago? Master Kokoro let us live here if we were no trouble and no one found out about us, there is a war sister and they take Keybearers wherever they find them. Now we are either going to one Academy and then sent to fight this atrocities or we get packing and we run to another World, and trust me, I won't allow them to pit you against any of these monsters," her tone was serious.

Stella didn't respond she just stared at the ground and let Luna take her by the hand. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.

 **NY City/ Melody**

A girl was skating in the empty highways of New York City. She was around 5 and 8 feet tall, her skin was ruddy. Her chiseled face was almost hidden by her purple scarf; it was striped with purple and pink streaks. Her hair was divided in two strands; short on her left side and longer on her right, while both sides went upwards in the back of her head which was close cropped. Her indigo eyes were elongated and protruding, while her eyelids were hooded as she looked cautiously around. Her nose and mouth were hidden by her scarf. She was smartly dressed with a black hoodie which she had the sleeves rolled up, baggy light black shorts and black sneakers who had the Kingdom Hearts logo on them in purple color. On her ears she had purple headphones that buzzed with the sounds of music. Her hands were clothed with blackish purple gloves and in her left hand she grasped a Keyblade. The guard around the grip was round, the blade was thin and may have looked like a normal sword's blade if it wasn't that dull at the edges, the tip was slightly upturned. The teeth of the Keyblade resembled different notes of music. The Keyblade's chain was a keynote.

As she skated in the empty streets she noticed that Shadow Heartless appeared. They seemed to move mindlessly around until they saw their prey. A little boy was walking alone in the streets, the Heartless headed his way. She saw it and rushed at them. She tightened her grip on the Keyblade and got ready. As she grew nearer she bent slightly and then jumped in the air twisting around and slashing a Shadow who had jumped after the unaware boy. The skateboard hit the boy legs who stumbled and fell on the board and wheeled a few meters away successfully dodging three Shadows who attacked simultaneously. She landed on the ground and two Shadows jumped at her, abandoning the boy. Now all the Shadows headed her way.

"Wind," she exclaimed with a low voice and strong wind currents surrounded her throwing away a few Shadows. She then followed with a charge; she slashed a few Shadows with lightning fast speed and threw her Keyblade at Shadow that jumped high striking it midair. A few Shadows rushed at her now that she was unarmed, but she jumped high and the Keyblade returned to her in an impossible way since it followed her motion and even flew high into the air directly at her waiting hand.

With quick movements she twisted into the air and fell onto the ground stabbing a Shadow and the ground while blast of light erupted below her. Big music notes made of energy appeared and attacked the remaining Shadows by exploding in sound waves completely destroying the Heartless.

The girl took her Keyblade from the ground and dematerialized it. She walked to the boy whose eyes shined with wonder and awe. She raised her hand and lowered her scarf revealing her pouty lips. "Are you okay kid?" she asked, her voice serious but low like a whisper. Her expression was bored and uninterested.

The boy didn't speak; he just nodded and glanced behind the girl. His eyes then widened in fear and tears started to form.

"What's wrong?" she asked now, her tone remained bored.

The boy pointed behind her with a trembling hand. She raised a thin eyebrow and turned to see what he pointed. Both eyebrows rose with surprise. She quickly grabbed the boy in a tight hug just as a huge blast of dark energy struck them. Though out of the blast's smoke, a glass like dome surrounded them. A tiny fairy had put his hands in front of him and had created a barrier to surround the Bearer and the small boy. The dome though broke and erupted around them with light.

"Melody, be careful girl!" cried out with a tiny and squeaky voice the fairy. He seemed to have sweated. The fairy was a blue floppy haired boy. A small tunic adorned his torso and simple pants that were raised to his knees. His feet were bare. Blue light surrounded him and it was generated by his tiny wings which worked overtime.

She slowly let go the boy from her grasp. "Go, run," she said and turned to the Enemy. "This should be fun…" she muttered and she stretched her left hand and her Keyblade appeared. She glared at the Darkside Heartless as it drew its fist back ready to strike.

\- Athor's notes- again-

So Snow's outfit is exactly the same as Vanita's from BBS but with the written changes. Also the same goes for the Keyblade, Void Gear, just different colors... what can i say, i really love that keyblade.

Haruki's keyblade as you may have guessed is Kingdom Key.


	3. Chapter 2 Seek, Locate and Collect

**-Author's Notes-**

 **So here's the second Chapter. I must warn you that i suck at battle scenes too, but i tried. Also be warned of the grammatical and orthographical errors as there are bound to be some. And i'm thinking of changing the Rating cause of some innuendos and mild swearing. Pls leave a review of your opinions so far. More Chapters will come weekly and maybe sooner, depending on my university studies.**

 **-Author's Notes-**

 **Chapter 2: Seek, Locate and Collect**

Snow yawned loudly and stretched like a cat as he stood up from his bed. His room in this Castle was small and unlike the other occupants, which were pretty much empty, his was full with his stuff. It contained a big bookcase with a numerous novels and encyclopedias, about the Heartless, the Nobodies, and other legends of the Worlds. He of course hadn't read many of them, but he did start on some of them. Near his bed he had a small table he himself created with ice, magical ice; it never melts. Two chairs on two sides of the table. He walked at his room's window and glanced outside.

His gaze met an empty, no, dead world. Everything was dark, there was no sun, no moon, no stars, nothing at all. He shook his head and turned back to his room. It was the brightest of the rooms in the Castle, for some reason, light could come inside this room. He walked to the door and opened it, only to come face-to-face with Pyro who had already raised his hand to knock.

"Mornin'" he said between yawns. "Come inside to my humble abode."

Pyro shook his head with a smirk. "Em, no, I came to give you another book I found of this Ansem the Wise, which is actually written by someone else named Namine, and to tell you that Lord wants all of us on his Throne Room," he said handing Snow a leather backed book.

"Can't it wait?" asked Snow as he put the book along with the rest of encyclopedias.

"Nope!" Pyro let the 'p' pop and grasped Snow's hand by the elbow and dragged him outside.

Snow groaned in annoyance as Pyro always did that; dragging him from his room to either the training room or for meetings with their group.

They passed the eerie hallways of the Castle which were filled with moving shadows. Each single shadow they saw was an extension of their Lord, Snow sometimes felt watched and he actually was since these shadows were the Lords eyes and ears in this Castle. Only his room was void of them and that's only for reasons unknown. The hallways were illuminated only by torches that burned with dark fire, courtesy of the Lord's magic.

They passed many rooms before they came upon a large doorway. They went inside and Pyro directed Snow in front of their Lords black throne. The other members were already there, kneeling before their Master. The first he saw was an enormous hulk of a woman. She seemed like a bodybuilder. She was tall at 6 and 5 feet. She wore her usual metallic armor. The plating was made of dark steel. Her face was uncovered, revealing a long face with yellow eyes. They were plastered in a glaring manner. She was always like that, glaring even at their Lord, even though she was scared of him, like all of them. Her hair was short, almost like a buzz cut, it was colored red. She was Ran, Mountain Crusher was her title. Next to her was a well build man of average height, he was clothed only in baggy pants and metal boots. He had fastened vertically on his torso a belt which he had strapped arrows. His hair was short and spiked upward, his face square. He was the only other member along Snow and Pyro that didn't have yellow eyes. His though were warm brown colored and round. He had a naughty smirk on his lips that he never abandoned. On his bare chest he had a tattoo that resembled a lock. His tan skin shifted slightly as he turned to glance at the two new comers. He was Alec, the Bow of Chance.

"Oh, the two Key-users," He announced and winked suggestively at Snow who glanced at him confused.

Next to him was tall lithe woman, she had a heart-shaped face with white colored hair that reached the back of her knees. She wore skin tight bodysuit that showed each and every curve of her body. She was named Whip, the Sadistic Whip. From a dark portal a man appeared clad in a Samurai's armor. Katana's sheathed on both sides of his waist. He had black hair, long and tied in a ponytail. His yellow eyes were glaring at everyone in the room. He was Lin, the Midnight Samurai. He was followed by a boy around fifteen. He had black hair and yellow eyes. He had an angry look on his face. The moving shadows that were a part of the Lord seemed to follow him too. He was Kage, the Shadow.

" _ **Welcome, my children…**_ " said a disembodied voice.

The shadows moved around the room and gathered in front of the empty throne. They rose from the ground and formed humanoid figure. No feature of his face or body was distinguishable except the glaring yellow eyes. He was Asmodeus, the Shadow Master.

" **Let us rejoice my sons and daughters, for our kin, Snow and Pyro brought us today another step closer to realizing our dream** …" he raised a hand that dripped pieces of darkness and pointed at the two.

"Bravo!" congratulated Lin.

The others only nodded and Alec stepped closer to them. "Congrats boys, this calls for a celebration and a reward. How about I reward you… in private," he suggested winking at them.

"Maybe later," stated plainly Pyro.

"Oh, party-pooper, what about you kiddo, how about I pop yo…" he was stopped by a massive hand on his shoulder.

"Don't you have something better to do than this hedonist?" asked Ran and Alec gulped loudly but quickly regained his composure.

"You're just jealous girl because you don't get some action, how about you and me in the…"

"No!" she said firmly.

" **Enough now…** " said soullessly their Lord. " **Snow by getting us more** **χ** **-pieces, we can make sure that we would save your world from the Realm of Darkness. Pyro you too will be rewarded with a heart of your very own…** " he paused and moved a little. " **We were forsaken, doomed to death by those of the Light, they hunt us down, kill us, but even then, we do not return the favor. We at every turn try to make peace, bring balance, but no, they don't listen… and so, by collecting the** **χ** **-pieces we come closer to recreate** **χ** **-blade which would open the door and to Kingdom Hearts and those of Light shall see… that we of the Dark are here to save the world from the Heartless threat and bring equality, then we will help them transcend…** " he stopped his speech and waved his hands, dark corridors opened by his motion. " **Now my children, go, scour the Worlds of Heartless, seek me more pieces, locate them and collect them. Be wary though, the Keys of Light are forever vigil and they will not hesitate to cease your existences.** "

All of the members stepped into the corridors. Snow and Pyro walked out of the throne and headed to Snow's room. Once there Pyro examined the ice table while Snow took the new book his friend brought. He opened it started reading and pacing around the room. Pyro glanced at him for a second before he grabbed the boy's shoulders and directed him to the bed so he can sit.

"Okay, Asmodeus finally shared his plan with us. A way to reach the Everlasting Light and change our existence while killing us some Heartless," Pyro exclaimed smirking. "I am going to do an extra assignment, don't kill yourself with the book, you should rest too, get some sleep."

Snow only nodded, while his focus was on the book's contents. Pyro shook his head and left the room.

…KH:NH…

Three hours later Pyro returned to the room, only to find Snow drowsing with the book in his embrace. His features on his face remained unemotional as he stepped inside and took the book from the boy, he placed it into the bookcase and then covered the boy with a blanket.

"Sometimes I wonder if his is seventeen or ten years-old," he wondered aloud. He stepped outside and turned to stare at a shirtless smirking man.

"Your boy-toy's asleep?" Alec asked snapping his fingers and a lollipop appeared. He started sucking it.

Pyro nodded and turned to leave, but a hand on his elbow stopped him. Pyro glared at Alec's hand and then at him.

"Leaving so soon? Boy-oh-boy, Nobodies are so boring, even the hot ones," sighed Alec before his eyes hardened. "You know what I want."

Pyro's eyes flashed red and his Keyblade appeared in his hand. "Let go," he stated simply.

Alec narrowed his eyes and let go the other's arm. "Fine, just do what must be done, and bring your boyfriend up to speed soon. If we are going to do this, we'll need two Keys and not only one," Alec said with urgency in his voice.

Pyro nodded once before he disappeared in a Dark Corridor. Alec glanced at Snow's room door before he walked away, down the hallway. None of them noticed the shifting shadows listening to their every word.

…KH:NH…

The next morning Snow woke up feeling rested. He headed to the window stretching his upper body and arms. What he called morning was the rise of the moon. This dark world didn't have a sun; its place was taken by a moon. The land was either illuminated by the moon for a few hours or was completely and utterly dark. For Snow it was hard enough to see outside when the moon was up, but when it was down, it was nearly impossible to see. He lifted his hand and observed his gloved palm. The skin-suit was like a second flesh to him by now. He never took it off, and for what reason would he? Magic kept him clean and fed. But sometimes he does go to a world with an ocean and takes it off just so he could take a dive, he loved the ocean too much.

He heard a knock from the door and turned to see a girl around nineteen walk inside. She wore witch's robes, black and white in color. Her raven black hair reached her shoulders and was wavy; the top of her head was covered by a pointy hat that the tip was bending backwards. Her yellow eyes gleamed as they stared at him. She was Ryn, the Witch of the In-between. She could manipulate both elements, Light and Dark.

"Hello," greeted Snow as he glanced at her curiously. He had gotten used to the intrusions of others to his room, some knocked like her and some just barged in, but neither would wait for an answer.

"Master Asmodeus said that today we would go on an assignment together," Her voice wasn't filled with any emotion like the others, it was just eerily empty, much like a certain Nobody's who to say the truth did try to color his tone with unfeeling emotion. But she was whole, why she spoke like that?

Snow walked towards her, "We got a lead of the χ-piece whereabouts or something?" he asked stopping in front of her. She was a couple of inches shorter than him, but her hat gave her some size.

"Yes and no."

With only that Ryn walked out of the room without letting Snow talk. Snow followed behind her as he wandered about her words. He wouldn't try to get any more information from her, it wasn't that he was scared or anything like that, but it was nigh impossible to get a word out of her if she didn't want to speak. They walked through empty hallways and corridors until they came to a stop. Ryn opened a door and walked inside, Snow took a step to follow her but he stopped short when he saw Pyro walk by with Lin. They nodded hello at him and he waved at them. He turned and entered the room Ryn went in.

Once inside Snow came face-to-face with Whip and her sadistic smirk. Beside her was Ryn who was in the process of casting a spell. She was chanting in an ancient and forgotten language.

"What up short-stick?" Whip asked leaning on the wall. She was tugging at the spandex suit at her middle.

"I am not short, and what's this about sticks?" Snow was confused by her words.

Whip smirked again and slapped Snows stomach. "I would love to explain but I have a job to do, and you've got to get older… maybe I'll explain when you grow a beard."

Snow narrowed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders and sat on a seat near Ryn. She seemed to have finished as she raised both her hands which gripped her staff and hit the ground. White aura surrounded her but not for long, the aura left her like a mist and flowed to Whip, it circled her until it disappeared inside her. Whip huffed a laugh and went outside the room sparing a glance at Snow and a mouthed 'thanks' to Ryn.

"She asked for an enchantment and a blessing," Ryn simply said without even looking at Snow.

Ryn waved her hand in a bored manner and black portal opened, she motioned for him to step inside the corridor of darkness. He eyed her for a second before he felt a crawl on his face as his helmet took form. It was like a casket, but the glass was black, the frame around it was metallic and colored blue, the symbol of a snowflake on it. He moved inside the corridor. He felt the chill, the tug on his skin and heart. He wasn't like the rest, which he knew, he may be a dark Keybearer but the Darkness still gave him the chills. Pyro had said to him that even he would have been destroyed by the continuous usage of the corridors if he didn't wear the cloak. The only beings capable of using the corridors without fear were those of the dark realm. Nobodies and Humans weren't one of those, the later though with the exception of those humans who abandoned the Light for good.

He felt his heart unclench as he got out of the corridors and into the new world. The first he noticed was that he was somewhere high, that was proved by the way the wind felt. Next, he saw the horizon, clouded by a mixture of smog and clouds. He took a few steps and looked around. He was on top of a building, a very high building. Around him, he saw other buildings, some taller and others shorter. He was in a city; he concluded and turned to the corridor just as it vanished, leaving behind Ryn.

"What are we doing here Ryn?" asked Snow, he wanted to know what he had to do.

Just then a couple of Soldier Heartless appeared raising their claws menacingly. Ryn materialized her staff. It was made of a strange black wood; the top was like a ring, adorned with different colored stones. She held it tight in her grasp and she struck the first Heartless to move too close to her so she could start casting spells. Snow summoned his Keyblade and rushed to the Soldiers. He slashed the first with a horizontal strike sending it flying and followed with driving his Key forward sending a dark wave of energy vaporizing the unlucky Soldier. Ryn snapped her hand forward sending a ball of fire. She then followed with hitting a Soldier with the back of her staff successfully electrocuting it. The yellow stone of her staff glowed and she struck the ground with force. The sky darkened and a lightning fell from the clouds striking many soldiers and vaporizing some. Snow cloaked his Keyblade with ice and threw it at a Soldier which was sneaking at Ryn, freezing it in the process and then destroying it as it struck it again as it returned to Snow. Just then he felt a tug inside him and turned to give a spinning kick to a Soldier which almost hit him from behind.

Ryn chanted and tried to evade some newly appeared Heartless, her staff was bashing them away, but it didn't seem to do much damage. Snow made short work of a couple of Heartless by cutting them with swift horizontal and side slashes. He saw that Ryn had a hard time and decided to help; he felt a dark aura surround him, his eyes locked on seven of the Heartless near her, he crouched down and turned the Keyblade and held it backwards. "Swift Darkness," he muttered and ricocheted himself in a zigzag manner, striking the seven locked-on Heartless with lightning speed. All seven of them met their end. He stood guarding her as the dark aura dissipated around him. Ryn by now was chanting loudly and she was waving her hands around. More Heartless had appeared and were ready to attack them, but Ryn stopped chanting and slapped the ground with her staff. A white stone flashed brightly making Snow cover his face and close his eyes, even the helmet couldn't help his eyes from the radiance. When he opened his eyes he was met with nothing. All the Heartless had vanished, Ryn stood nearby with the same uninterested expression as before the attack. She didn't even seem tired, this made Snow wander, just how powerful is she?

"We tracked down Heartless in this world. We believe that somewhere here is a χ-piece and we need to find it before the Heartless take it," she explained, "I'll find a quiet place to concentrate and scribe its location."

Snow nodded and looked around again. "I'll scout, I'll try to follow the Heartless then, and maybe they lead me to the χ-piece. Which world is this really?"

She glanced at him and he felt a chill by her glare. "Earth-X," she stated and she disappeared in a flash of light.

Snow was speechless. He knew the name Earth and he felt an excitement build inside him. He rushed to the building's edge and looked down.

 **Earth-X (TMNT)**

He watched as the streets down below were empty, occasionally a car would pass. It was night, so this emptiness was justifiable. He thought for a second were to start and he decided that it would be best to stick to the rooftops than down below. Besides, his attire would raise many eyebrows. He took several steps back and then rushed forward. He jumped high just at the edge and reached the next building. He continued his dash on the roof and jumped again to reach the next one. There some Shadows appeared but where met with his Keyblade, striking them with sonic speed. At some point he heard voices and he felt a tremor. He rushed to the edge of the building he was and looked down. He saw a gigantic Heartless punching the ground and sprouting Shadows. A girl around Snow's age was dancing around the Shadows striking them and killing them with only one blow. She was getting tired though and Snow jumped down, his Keyblade ready to strike the Darkside's head. He fell down slashing at the head as it moved to stare at him with its yellow empty eyes.

The girl spun around destroying two Shadows simultaneously. He watched her as she used an aero spell throwing away more Shadows. He charged at the fist that embedded itself on the ground sprouting Shadows. He hacked at it relentlessly, using horizontal strikes. He jumped back when the Darkside withdraw its fist and fell on its knees. The girl rushed through the Shadows destroying them, she was embraced with a white aura, each strike she did different notes were heard, as if she was playing an instrument.

"It's getting ready to shoot dark energy balls!" he exclaimed as he grasped the Keyblade with both his hands.

She glanced at him and remained quiet. A blue sparkling thing flew from her side and came fast at him, he saw it and raised his Keyblade threateningly at it. The glowing thing saw this and flew to Snow's face. The dark Keyblader saw what it was. It was a male fairy, a blue haired fairy. It started shouting at him in a language he didn't get.

"Scram," Snow yelled at it waving his Keyblade. It seemed to shake with anger and it knocked at his helmet.

Snow quickly hit it with his finger sending it flying to the girl. "Hey!" the girl cried out as she caught the flying fairy. "He's my friend, fiend!" she yelled in an accented voice.

"Yea well, it's annoying me," Snow said as he watched the Darkside spasm and shoot dark energy balls. "Watch out!" he run towards her so he could shield her.

Instead though, he found himself inside a glass-like bubble. He turned to the girl who seemed to be magically in tune with the fairy and together they were casting a reflect spell. This spell though was different; it shot back an energy ball made of light. Snow was amazed, the reflected attack disoriented the Darkside, and it spread its arms and let its palms fall on the ground. Snow took the opportunity and run up the length of its arm, stabbing it and cutting it open all the way up. He stopped once he reached at its shoulder where he mustered magical energy on his Keyblade. "Frozen Heart!" he cried out as he jumped and stabbed the side of its head with an explosion of ice following. The Darkside was thrown off-balance and it fell slowly on top of the girl but before it hit her it evaporated into nothingness.

Snow smoothly landed on the ground just as he noticed a glowing piece of metal fly towards him. He examined it and quickly stuffed it inside a pouch on his belt. He sighed relieved that the huge Heartless was gone, though the battle was far from over as a dozen Shadows appeared along side Soldiers and Big Bodies. He stepped closer to the girl and gripped his Keyblade tightly.

"What do we do? I don't think they will stop any time soon," he asked for her input.

"Do as I do," she said smoothly and she started to glow, she let her Keyblade float before she jumped on it. She rushed at the Heartless riding it like a skateboard.

Snow lifted an eyebrow underneath his helmet and did the same. Only difference was that he was surrounded by darkness. He jumped on his Keyblade and rushed at the Heartless striking them continuously. Together he and the girl circled around the masses of Heartless, destroying them one by one. At one moment the girl stopped as the Keyblade came to her hand and stabbed the back of a Big Body. She brought her weapon down destroying the Big Body. Snow stopped too as he felt his energy drain out. He touched the ground twisting around and killing the two remaining Heartless. He straightened his back and glanced at the girl. She was speaking with the fairy.

She walked to him de-summoning her Keyblade. "Who are you, what's your name?" she asked without even seeming concerned with thanking him about his help.

He glanced at her for a second and said, " none of your concern, just someone from the dark side of the Worlds."

"Okay… Yukio," she lifted the side of her mouth. "Thanks for the help. He's Cyrus, the fairy that saved your ass and you can call me Melody."

Snow crossed his arms, "that's not my name, and I handled myself just fine, I would have been fine. I didn't need its help."

The fairy flew quickly to Snow and knocked angrily at his helmet again. "He isn't an it, but a he," the girl said gesturing for the fairy to come to her. The fairy complied but not without pointing at himself and Snow and giving him a death-glare. "And you should really be grateful about his help, that Darkside would have vaporized you if he hadn't used his magic, Yukio."

"Well, it's annoying and stop calling me Yukio!" he snapped at her.

She huffed in return and walked away, the small fairy right behind her. "Well you won't tell me your name and you do use ice a lot, so… Yukio."

Snow growled and trekked after her. "I said that my name isn't Yukio… Fine! It's Snow, happy now?" he asked angrily.

She didn't reply, she just smirked at him. They walked in empty streets in silence; Cyrus would occasionally make rude gestures at Snow who in turn would try to grab at him. Melody seemed to ignore them. But as they walked Snow felt something. It was faint, it seemed like a call or something. He ignored it and continued his way, though a question plagued his mind.

"So… are you from this world, Melody?" snow inquired sending a chill to the fairy, which in turn shivered by the cold and rubbed his arms.

"No," she stated and didn't even spare a glance at him.

"And why are ya here?" he asked as he waved his hand to send away the fairy which tried to knock on his helmet again.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she said sarcastically and then stopped immediately. "Someone's watching… shhh" she shushed him before he even spoke.

He went into high alert and was about to summon his Keyblade when he suddenly felt as if he was being pierced in the head. He winced and Melody glanced his way, the question in her eyes. He just waved at her that he was fine. _Snow, I scribed the_ _χ_ _-piece's location, it's moving, come back to where we came and meet me there,_ he heard Ryn's voice in his mind. The piercing feeling stopped as did her voice. He inwardly cursed her for not trying to be less painful, invading his mind like that.

He noticed a shadow upon a rooftop, it was too bulky to be normal human, and too patient to be Heartless. Maybe someone wearing armor? He wondered and watched as Melody closed her eyes and concentrated. Just then he felt the piercing begin again. _Quickly, Heartless know that I scribed the location_. She urged him.

"Sorry, but I gotta go," he said before he felt the darkness rise from beneath him and slowly cover himself.

Melody didn't respond but he did hear the fairy speak English for the first time. "Good riddance!" the fairy yelled at him and then everything was clouded by the darkness.

Snow stepped out of the dark corridor and found himself on the same roof he first came. It was empty as before and there was no sign of Ryn. He looked around and wondered if he should wait or search for her. He took a few more steps and then saw a bright flash of light from the streets right in front of him. He run and saw Ryn gripping her staff as dozens of Heartless were killed.

"Gah!" he gasped when he noticed that not only did she finish off dozens of Heartless with one go, she destroyed two Darksides at once too.

"You found it," she said from behind him and he almost jumped out of his skin. "The χ-piece, you found it, I feel traces of it on you."

He calmed down and looked at his pouch. It was strangely empty, "what!" he cried out surprised. He searched himself all over and still no sign of the glowing metal he retrieved from the Darkside he killed before. "It's gone! She took it!" He cried out in realization.

Ryn's gaze abandoned her apathy and ever so slowly narrowed her eyes. "Who took it?"

"That girl, Melody, it must have been her!" he tried to explain, "she's a Keyblade wielder, one of the Light's side."

"Search for her, take it from her. The χ-piece must be retrieved," she said with no room for argument. Her eyes glowed as the darkness covered her and she disappeared into the corridor.

He dashed across the roof and jumped to the next, remembering the path he took and found her before. Just as he reached the spot he noticed that it was empty. He franticly looked around, searching for something, anything. Then it came to him, Heartless just love to pop where there is a Keyblade.

"Follow the damned Heartless," he mouthed and jumped at the next roof, now searching for Heartless and soon he found some.

He jumped from roof to roof, slayed Heartless mob after Heartless mob until he was led to the docks and into a warehouse. He finished off a few Heartless and proceeded inside. There he saw Melody's back as she run into another room. He looked around the room he was and saw some humanoid robots clothed in black, all of them ripped apart or dismembered. He noticed a sign that read 'staircase', and an arrow pointing to the way Melody headed. A smirk appeared on his lips and he run outside. He run outside and looked for a window. Once he found the one he thought was right, he cloaked himself with darkness as he run towards the wall. He jumped and started to run on the wall as if he was unaffected by the gravity. He rushed to the window and jumped inside phasing through the glass without breaking it.

He got inside the room just in time as Melody was about to enter the room. Snow summoned his Keyblade and waited. He heard voices, four different male ones, speaking one on top the other in a rushed manner, and then he heard Melody speak.

"Raphie I'm fine, just listen for once Leo and get the hell away, I don't need your help!" she yelled and she entered the room. She glanced at Snow bored. She closed the door behind her.

"Where is it?" immediately asked Snow.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about," she said and then the small fairy came from behind her.

"You know what I'm talking about, give the χ-piece back," he raised his Keyblade threateningly.

Her eyes widened in surprise hearing about what he was looking for and that was enough evidence for Snow. "I've got nothing that you'd want," she said and Cyrus flew right beside her.

Snow rushed at her with extreme speed and was about to bring his Keyblade downwards but she summoned her own Keyblade and parried his strike. "Give it back!" he growled at her.

She quickly bent and kicked at his feet only for him to cartwheel backwards. He drew his free hand back and then snapped forward and he shot a few blizzard shards. Cyrus flew in front of them and he used a smaller version of a reflect magic. Melody run and cloaked her Keyblade with light and came to meet Snow's weapon as both of them struck at the same time, Snow though felt his Keyblade give way to her strength and she pushed him back. She followed with a blast of aero and sent him back even further. He teleported midair and appeared in front of her again and tried to slash her in half, she parried but Snow teleported again appeared behind her and elbowed her back. She fell forward and Snow was about to continue but Cyrus came rushing and hit him on the head.

"Be gone!" he yelled and tried to strike the fairy.

Melody slowly stood and turned ever so slowly to glance at Snow. She rolled her shoulders and snapped her fingers. "Round two," she said.

She rushed at a preoccupied Snow kicked him on the torso. He was sent flying back, but he shifted and landed on the wall with his legs. He felt the darkness surround him as he ricocheted at her with sonic speed. Cyrus flew in front of Melody and together they cast a spell, an energy ball was shot by her Keyblade and hit a charging Snow. He was struck and he hissed in pain as the balls blast burned him. But he did not give up. He charged again with combo of horizontal and side slashes which Melody blocked or dodged but Snow followed with stabbing the ground and summoning a small pillar of ice. Melody jumped back but she was scratched on her right leg.

Snow was about to charge again but Melody dodged and punched him in the guts and then slashed his chest with an electrical strike. Snow hissed in pain and she blasted him away with another aero spell. She proceeded to attack him with a combo of twists and turns, Snow was disoriented and stunned by her previous electrical attack, but he dodged most of the strikes, she then jumped back. Her Keyblade started to glow and she pointed at him, a ball of energy appeared and she shot it at him. He fell down tired and weak and he brought his Keyblade to shield himself but a figured got in the way.

"Enough!" said the figure and brought its hand in front of it and absorbed the ball of energy.

"Ryn!" yelled Melody pointing her Keyblade at her.

Snow glanced at the figure surprised as he started to notice who she was. He stood up tired and glanced at her and then Melody. "You know her?" he asked Ryn.

She remained quiet and muttered something under her breath. "So, Ryn, this guy is with you? No wonder I felt a very dark presence from him. But I didn't expect him to be so weak," Melody said never taking her eyes from Ryn.

He glared at her, her words burned in his chest and heart. "Say that again you little…" he tried to charge at her with strength that he didn't know he had but Ryn put her hand in front of him.

"No we are leaving, she doesn't have the χ-piece, I can't sense it on her or even this world," she said and snapped her finger.

Snow felt himself thrown into a cold current, inside the darkness.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Darkness Thrives In Strong Hearts

Snow jumped up from his bed, startled and sweaty. His heart raced as if he just run a marathon. He walked to his hand-made table and watched his reflection. He looked tired. Yesterday's events were slowly coming back to his mind. Earth-X, the χ-piece, Melody and their fight. Ryn had thrown him inside a portal as soon as she came to his rescue.

 _Weak!_

It was a low growl, and Snow was surprised to hear it came from him. But his mind was right. He was still a weakling. He lost to someone who wasn't even properly trained, and he could tell. That girl Melody was like him, self-taught and alone. Though, she did have that sparkling thing, that Fairy. He felt his fists clench and unclench with newfound rage.

He has to train more, that's what his mind was telling him. Train more, become stronger. Vanquish whoever tries to stop him from saving the World, his World. With those thoughts in mind, he stormed out of his room and headed to the Castle's training grounds. On his way, he passed Lin who looked at him curiously, but the dark-clad teen paid him no mind.

The training grounds were outside the Castle in the back. A large empty field with nothing even resembling a training ground. Snow stood in the middle with his mind, set to it. With a snap of his fingers, the whole field started to reshape itself, large pillars appeared, all standing in a perfect circle, creating an arena. In the middle of the arena, Snow stood and glanced at the floor, it was a visage of his Snowflake symbol. There was also another symbol, carved in each pillar. A pointy heart-thing, he had read about these, Unversed emblem. He didn't know how these came to be here but he cared not.

Without hesitation, he snapped his fingers again and a dark pool appeared in front of him. From there a dozen heartless appeared, all relatively low-class. Shadows, Soldiers, and Nocturnes of different color and element. All of them stood and stared, he knew they were just projections and not the real deal, but they were a close simulation. He felt a surge of energy run through his hand and the Void Gear materialized in his hand and he took his battle stance, bringing the Key to his side.

"Time to sweat," Snow growled and launched himself to the Shadows.

…KH:NH…

 _A boy dressed in jean shorts and a simple t-shirt walked down the road of a large city, he was heading to his friend's home and seemed to be angry. He couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. He had fought with his parents again, and his older brothers were unsupportive like always. So he did what he always had done, find solace in his best friend's company._

 _After an hour he was already inside an apartment, lounging on a couch with a brunet girl sitting cross-legged and humming a song to herself. The boy was soundlessly drowsing while the girl decided to stand and hover near him, her eyes on his face. As if feeling her gaze on him he opened his crystal blue eyes and stared back at her._

 _In the girl's eyes he could see her mischief and before he could react she threw him a bag full candies._

" _What was that about?" He cried as he stood up quickly to glance at the bag._

 _She didn't respond she just giggled and turned her back on him._

" _You're acting weird today Mikaela." He concluded and popped the back open and started munching on the candies._

There was a gasp and with a final spin, he hacked an Air Soldier in half. He was breathing heavily from the onslaught of Heartless he defeated. Though, the memories of a certain girl in his mind fuelled his vigor for more. He snapped his fingers to make more Heartless but nothing happened. He snapped again and again until he heard footsteps on the marble arena.

He turned to see Lin, he was walking towards him. His yellow eyes calculating. The old samurai seemed to study the Keybearer. Snow, even if he was slightly scared of the older man he had a deep respect for him, and his skills. He watched every sparring match he had with the other members and only Ran due to her brute strength and almost nonexistent weak points could come to a draw. The man was fast, strong and smart.

"Simulations are great training, but come nowhere near the real deal." The man remarked, his eyes never leaving the boy.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed." Snow replied in a heavy tone, his muscles itching for more exercise.

"You failed."

"Excuse me?" Snow questioned incredulously.

"That girl defeated you and caused you to lose the χ-piece. And that defeat brings shame to the rest of us." Lin was accusing.

Snow didn't reply, he just tightened his grip on the Void Gear.

"An untrained little child defeated you, how are you possibly going to save your World from the Abyss which it has fallen, maybe you are still that weak little boy who let his World be consumed by the Darkness."

"Shut up!"

"Poor family, their only hope is the child whose weakest then his brothers…"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Oh that girl, doomed forever."

Snow snapped, without even thinking he charged at the man with his Keyblade ready to strike. The samurai though just slapped the Key's tip away and punched the boy so hard that he was thrown into a pillar. With a pained muffled curse, the boy stood, feeling his back burning. Lin just unsheathed one of his katana swords and loosely held it to his side.

 _Crush him, he is mocking you!_

"What are…?"

Snow cut him off as he threw a blast of dark energy and rushed at him his blade in upwards slash. Lin effortlessly absorbed the blast and parried the blade with his own. Snow jumped back, knowing he didn't stand a chance in close combat and decided to play on the safe side. "FREEZE!" He cried out and shot a barrage of frozen shards, all which shattered as the katana crushed each and every of them. The seasoned samurai was way faster than what the boy anticipated.

"A mere nuisance." Commented the man as he deflected a shard and parried another slash.

The man responded by pushing the boy away, it was merely enough to send him a few steps back, a sign he was going easy on him, too easy. All of this, knowing full well it pissed the Keybearer off.

 _Drive the Key through him! Crush his blacken heart!_

Snow cloaked himself in shadows and charged at the samurai fast enough to seem like a blur. Lin though just sidestepped, evading each charge. Seeing as the boy was not even going to land a hit anytime soon the man waited just long enough and when Snow charged he sidestepped gave the boy a round-house kick. With a pained cry, the boy landed on a pillar and before he could do anything Lin kicked him again, this time breaking the pillar in half. No doubt, if the boy hadn't been a Keybearer, he may have died on the first impact.

"Only when you defeat me on this arena, you would ever be able to accomplice your goals."

Lin left soon after uttering these words. Snow's mind was hazy, clouded by the pain, he struggled to remain conscious. Then he heard running footsteps. A blurred figure came to his sight. Then a word, he knew well was heard and relieved his pain. "Cure," muttered the figure and just as there was a brief flash of light, the pain left but Snow's eyes shut tight and his consciousness slipped away.

…KH:NH…

The teenage boy awoke with a splitting pain in his head, he remembered getting a serious beating from Lin, but he can't remember who brought him here. It couldn't have been Lin, the man thought of him as less than dirt to actually help him. He hissed as he stood from his bed and walked towards the door. There was a knocking and he knew who it was, Pyro, he alone knocked and actually waited for a reply.

He grasped the handle and he came face to face with Alec. He seemed worried about something fidgeting with the belt that holds his arrows. His left hand was still in the air ready to knock the now open door. They stood almost on the same height, just a few inches apart, with the Keybearer on the losing side. With an awkward cough, he lowered his hand and looked Snow straight in the eye.

"I'm waiting." Snow was surprised by his own snarky tone.

"Yes em… are you okay?"

Snow didn't reply to the man, he just turned and sat at the edge of his bed and sighed. He motioned for the man to sit on one of the frozen chairs. Alec was hesitant at first but complied. He actually seemed timid, something the man was hardly ever seen as. Once he sat he immediately sat up and looked at Snow who was snickering. Only Pyro and he could sit on them, subzero temperatures were hardly comfortable to sit on.

"Yeah laugh it up, now scoot over." Grumbled Alec and sat at the very edge of the bed.

Snow was glad that his joke helped put the other at ease. The teenage boy wasn't a social butterfly like Alec or able to hold conversations like Pyro, he was just too easily drawn to long silences between them, always thinking what he would say before he said it. It was something that stuck with him at a very young age, it seemed like he lost his spontaneity. So like usual, he just stared at the man and waited for him to begin talking.

Alec was no stranger to the boy's attitude and his lack of social skills as he came to understand in the year they had the boy with them knew he should soon start talking or they'd begin a staring contest, one of those that he usually had with Pyro and Alec loved teasing them about. Alec ruffled his hair and sighed as he began talking.

"What happened yesterday, what did you do to Lin?"

Snow frowned slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "Lin wanted to train me, and I failed him. Next time he will be the one on the ground."

Alec shook his head. "You know better Snow, he doesn't hold back, while it's…" he stopped and seemed to consider something. "Great," he said the word but didn't mean it in the least. "While it's great that he even cares enough to train you, you aren't ready for something like that man, you know that."

Snow looked at him and shrugged again, not caring at all. "If I remember correctly, you were the second trainer I had and you beat me to a bleeding pulp multiple times. Getting beaten by the higher league is fine, means I rise up."

"That's not what I mean, and then you used to wear the helmet all the time, I didn't know your face."

Snow was confused now. "What difference has my face made that made you stop beating me?"

Alec opened his mouth and closed it again, he was at loss of words. Snow felt that he was hiding something from him but he didn't know what. That confused him more and frustrated him. The man just glanced around, he was now avoiding the boy's eyes.

"Tell me about your goals." Alec shifted in his seat and glanced at the boy once and then back at the frozen table.

Snow thought of his goals and as always they were clear as day. The words came to him as they had come when Asmodeus asked him about them a year ago, and when Pyro asked or Alec then.

"I want to save my world, restore it and…"

 _Mikaela!_

 _I am here, give me your hand!_

 _NO!_

 _Al…_

"And?" Asked Alec and looked the boy straight in the eyes.

Snow snapped from the sudden voices in his head and continued his statement. "And collect the χ-pieces so that we can recreate the χ-blade and open the Door to Light so we can vanquish the Heartless once and for all. Isn't that everyone's goal here too?"

Alec just shook his head again, frustrated about something but he quickly hid it away. Swearing under his breath he stood and walked towards the door. "Tell me about your World, Snow. The World you so much want to save."

The boy was taken aback by that inquiry. He leaned forward and contemplated the man's question.

"My World is huge, vast but empty altogether. It's boring, magic and powers exist only in books and fantasy."

"Tell me about its people then, tell me about your family and friends." Alec turned again and faced Snow.

"My parents live there, in a small but cozy apartment… I have two older brothers, and two… one best friend she… she…" He frowned and closed his eyes.

 _Mikaela, please…_

"How long have you been gone, when did you become a Keyblade wielder?" Alec continued and stepped in front of Snow.

"You know what, leave, NOW!" Snow snapped, his temper rising. He didn't like this.

"Snow do you remember what…" The look the other gave him, it silenced him.

Alec's eyes grew wide at surprise and confusion. There were sadness and alarm too, beneath those eyes, Snow noted. He ignored it though, a small part of him, telling him to look into it, find out what it was. Snow stood up and took a step towards Alec, the man in response took a step back.

He raised his hand and pointed a finger to Alec. "I remember everything just fine, Alexander, and you should think before you start your interrogation with me, not unless you have some answers yourself, don't think I don't know your secret meetings with Pyro, your little, hushed chitchats with him."

Alec took another step back at Snow's accusations and looked at the floor and then back at him. "Look Snow…"

"I don't give two shits about what you two are doing, I am here to achieve my goals, nothing more, nothing less and I didn't come here to make friends. But if you get to my business then I'll get to yours and I don't think the Boss would like it when he learned about your secret outings." Snow stood face to face with Alec.

He felt a slight guilt for saying those things but not for Alec per se, he felt guilty because Pyro would get in trouble too, the Nobody was actually his somewhat friend and trainer these days. He figured though he should up his game, Pyro helped him enough, but it's time to train under his betters.

Alec swallowed loudly and turned his back to the boy and walked to the door once more. "You're welcome for healing your ass at the Arena."

Once Alec left Snow walked to the frozen table and looked at his reflection. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw something strange but he quickly shook it off. He exhaled loudly and closed his eyes. He had enough in his mind to care what that Hedonist actually wanted. He should just train harder and so with a nod to himself he walked outside and headed straight to the Arena.

…KH:NH…

A week passed since he started officially training under Lin, the samurai always bleeding him to a red mess but, every day just a little less. Progress was slow, too slow and the old man was sure to remind him of that. Now though he was on a mission with Whip. They had located a woman who she was thought capable of seeing the location of the χ-pieces. They were tasked to secure her and obtain her cooperation, whatever that meant.

"Soooo… what's this World?" He inquired as he stepped in another muddy puddle splashing his boots and dirtying them.

"I dunno, it's one of the Parallels, same as Earth-X but different? I don't know the technical stuff, anyway, it stinks and it's too humid here. Anyway, it's called Forks or something or La Push, Alec found it, so I don't trust any of those names to be correct." She replied with a disgusted tone as she cursed with a string of really colorful swears as the sky cracked and rain started to fall down.

Snow was quite happy that he had his helmet on, thankfully. He had started wearing it on again, not only when he was on Worlds, but even in the castle too. He and Whip walked in silence, she was a talker but she was sulky, Ran ordered her to accompany Snow while she wanted to stay off duty today, or more likely a week, she's been slacking off. The rain splashed on his helmet but it wasn't actually hindering his sight, the helmet was magical after all. All in all, he was dry while Whip was soaked. He would have found it funny but he had to give it to her, for someone who was completely wet to the bone she walked unaffected.

Whip's words came to his mind, Parallels. That's what they call a World that's virtually the same with another but different. Just like his World and Earth-X's version of New York. Sometimes he wondered if he would meet another version of himself, which would be awkward and somewhat hilarious.

Unlike the last time, there weren't many traces of Heartless here and that was disappointing to Snow. He was anxious to slay some real Heartless than some simulated ones. There was another thing too, Whip wasn't the best planner, which Snow actually knew of. They just decided to just stroll around in hopes of finding that woman.

"Do we know the name of the woman, or how she looks like?" Snow asked as they came to a clearing.

The forest around them was quiet and it gave the chills. They stood at the clearing's edge.

"Alice and she is short and pale, that's all I know of, now shut up I think I heard something." Whip hissed at him and stopped walking.

Snow stopped too and tried to listen carefully, pretty soon he heard a growl, a rather loud growl and leaves being shaken. Whip lowered herself and touched the ground, letting a small portion of her power detach itself from her and form a small snake on the damp ground. Just then there was a loud snap and she barreled out of the way as a gigantic silver-grayish wolf jumped at her. The snake she created was right below the wolf and it lunged itself to the wolf's leg and bit hard. The wolf howled more in annoyance than pain and tried to get the snake off with its teeth but Whip snapped her fingers and the snake exploded in a dark burst of energy that seemed to return back at her. The wolf was thrown back and it staggered back up and growled.

Then Snow heard a howl and he turned just in time to dodge-roll another wolf, around the same size as the other and brown in color. It snarled in annoyance and charged at Snow again only for him to shift around and jump. The silver wolf shook and charged at Whip who smirked maniacally with an extreme speed she side-stepped and used one of her whips to strike the wolf and send it back. Snow crouched just as the other wolf charged at him again. As the wolf opened its mouth like a razor-fanged trap, Snow warped and appeared just above the wolf's head. His feet smashed unto its head and it tripped by the force and smacked on a tree splintering it in half. Snow took advantage of this and jumped from tree to tree and landed on top of the silver wolf.

"Come on horsey, come on!" Snow mocked the wolf as it tried to throw him off of it.

Whip giggled and rushed forward just in time to kick the brown wolf and prevent it from grabbing Snow in its maw. The kick caught the wolf midair as it jumped to Snow and threw it away making it whine. She proceeded to summon two whips and snap them on the brown wolf making it howl in pain again.

The silver wolf as it tried to throw Snow of balance it jumped high almost making Snow hit a thick branch had he not jumped down from the wolf's mane. Snow in retaliation threw a dark ball at the wolf which it avoided and run at its pack mate. Whip had the brown tied with one whip and the other was smacking it as she giggled in delight with each whine. Snow seeing this warped to her and shoved her away receiving a head-butt from the silver wolf which sent him crashing into a tree with a grunt.

Whip growled at Snow for shoving her into a mud puddle and summoned her weapons, ready to strike the wolves.

Snow summoned his Keyblade as both the wolves were now standing and ready to pounce on him. The brown howled again and just seconds after the howl another one was heard a few seconds later.

"We are finished here, Whip." Snow said in a strong and strangely commanding voice.

Ice started to gather around his Keyblade and body, slowly the raindrops froze near him. Seeing this the wolves backed away slightly and Snow sought this as an opportunity to bail. He strengthened the Ice on his Keyblade and smacked it on the ground causing a frozen mist to spread and ice spikes to spring from the ground around him making the wolves jump away. The duo of wolves backed away as they felt the cold from the mist.

When the mist cleared both Snow and Whip were gone. Only the frozen ground and trees along the spikes of ice were there.

…KH:NH…

They both walked through the streets of a small town, this must be Forks. Whip was trying to dry her hair but to no avail. The rain had stopped half an hour ago. They used Snow's ice attack to escape out of the woods and directly to Forks.

"Wolves!" Whip yelled as she raised her hand in disbelief.

Snow didn't reply, he just walked ahead, the streets were empty, he was feeling that something wasn't right about this place, something was off. There were houses all around, with their front lawn being neatly cut on all of them. This seemed like a ghost town.

"Freaking wolves!"

"Okay I get it wolves, now shut the hell up already!" Snow growled, his helmet masked his glare, but for some reason, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What do we know of this place, tell me all of about it?"

She mumbled something before she looked ahead. "This World is populated by humans and animals, same as most Worlds we've been to, except this one has a difference. There are Vampires and apparently giant dogs." She exclaimed exasperatedly.

"I'll never know why you failed to mention that before."

"Anyway, how should we proceed with the mission, Alec said they live in a mansion inside the forest." Whip looked at Snow expectantly.

Snow didn't reply, he just raised his hand in a stopping motion. A terrified shriek was heard in the distance and he rushed ahead to the source. Whip followed close behind and once they reached a small convenient store they saw an old man dragging his daughter by the arm away from some marching Big Bodies and Shadows. Snow wasted no time and warped behind the big-bellied Heartless and started hacking at it with his Keyblade while Whip snatched one Shadow with her weapon and threw it at the other Shadow and then proceeded to slam her whip to a Shadow who jumped in the air ready to sink its claws to the girl. The old man put himself in front of her to protect her but a Soldier jumped out of nowhere and smacked the man in the head throwing him unconscious. Snow charged ahead cloaking himself in ice and killed the Soldier before he kicked the ground and a spike of ice pierced a Big Body from beneath.

Whip snapped one of her whips and tied it around the neck of the last Big Body, she used its weight to boost herself to the air and with a swift motion of her free hand small bolts of lightning rained down on the Heartless, vanquishing it instantly.

Snow had wiped out the rest and he turned to the girl who kneeled in front the old man, concern painting her features. Snow walked to her kneeling too, placing a hand on the old man's forehead just to have it slapped away by her.

"Look, I just want to check if he needs healing, okay?" He said slightly annoyed but clouded it and tried to be more kind.

"O-okay." She stuttered and eyed the other.

Snow place his hand on the man's head again and let his magic find any wound. The man was healthy just knocked out.

"He is just unconscious, I'll help you carry him." He scooted him up and waited for the girl to guide him to her home.

"It's this way." She pointed at the road to the side of the store and walked ahead.

Snow followed carrying the man in his arms. He would have found it hard to do if he didn't have his strength bolstered by the Key's magic.

They reached the house and she quickly unlocked the wooden old door. She held it open for Snow and Whip, once they were inside she closed it and indicated for the stairs. She carried him up and into his bedroom and lay him on the bed. He glanced at the girl and she checked on the man again to make sure he was okay. He nodded to Whip and they headed down and waited for her to come down.

"So what's the plan?" Whip questioned Snow and he looked at her, first making sure the girl was still upstairs.

"She doesn't seem too bright, leaving two complete strangers and dressed as we are no less and with our powers into her home, so we use her." He said nonchalantly.

Whip was surprised at how casually he said this, she actually smirked at how this is starting to develop. "So, this Alice is a Vampire, forgot to tell you before."

Snow just growled at her idiocy and refrained from responding as he heard footsteps on the stair. The girl walked down and she immediately glanced at both of them as if now realizing that she had actual company. Snow refrained himself from shaking his head in her absentmindedness.

"Em, I'm Bella, Bella Swan, thank you for saving my dad from those things." She said bashfully.

"I am Whip and he is…"

"Yukio, call me Yukio." Snow cut Whip off from giving away their identity.

"What's with the getup? You look like a bike rider in spandex and you like a…" Cough… cough… "Hooker."

Whip smiled mischievously and winked at her.

"That's because she is… sort of." Snow said earning him a glare from Whip. "Anyway the helmet is… for my protection I guess." He said trying to find a convincing lie but failing miserably.

She eyed him before she smirked. "So you are a Vampire, that's why it's for protection right, blocking the sun? Well, you should something about her eyes too."

He just nodded unsure if he is doing the right thing.

"Cool, don't worry, you are safe from me, I can keep your secret, do you know the Cullens?" She inquired and Snow noticed Whip tensing at the mention of the name.

"We know of Alice, she is a great friend of mine." Whip tried to sound as sweet as she could. Her eyes looked at Snow, making sure he heard her.

"Oh, yes, we were going to visit them but as you can guess we had a to take a detour." Snow added to Whip's lie and waited for a response from Bella.

"Yeah, well I am a good friend of theirs, maybe we'll head there later when my dad wakes up. I would ask you if you wanted a café or something to eat but it's late and Vampires can't really eat." She replied.

To Snow, she seemed like a nice and quiet girl, a bit naïve and slow but nice none the less. She also seemed knowledgeable of those Vampires. Maybe she knows of the wolves too. He was about to ask when Whip beat him to it first.

"So, among us, and the Cullens, did you happen to see some wolves, gigantic ones?" She asked Bella as she eyed the girl curiously.

"The Werewolves?" She asked and Snow nodded. "You don't know of them?" Snow nodded again. "Well, they are a pack whose lead by a macho called Sam, they are the guardians of La Push. A neighboring reservation of Natives. They are okay, actually, my best friend is one of them he is great. So anyway, what were those things back there?"

Snow was slightly losing his patience with her, she was a chatty cathe when given the opportunity it seemed. "They were Heartless, they are creatures of the Darkness, best avoided if possible because they can't be touched by mortal weapons."

Bella was getting kind of scared but her phone rang and she excused herself. In her absence, Snow found the time to think ahead. Whip looked like she was doing the same thing. After a couple of minutes, Bella came back. But she looked off, somewhat spooked. Snow asked her about it and she just looked at him with wide eyes before she just shrugged it off. He knew something wasn't right. Whip glanced at him and he knew that whoever was on the phone told her something and it had to do with them. She wasn't looking at them, she actually avoided any eye contact. That was all Snow needed to be sure that she knew they weren't what they looked like.

"Screw it." He mumbled and Bella raised her head just to feel his hand grasp her neck.

He tightened his grip and lifted her off the ground. She choked and struggled but he ignored it and let his dark power infiltrate her mind. He came up with nothing like she had a mental block or something. He tried again and nothing worked. He growled and he pushed her to the wall. She gasped as much as she could. Whip stood and glanced around.

"I can't search her mind." Snow stated and tried one last time.

"I know, I tried reading her mind the moment we met. So we can do something else." She stepped to Snow and nodded at him.

Snow let Bella fall to the floor gasping for air. Whip kneeled down touched her cheek.

"Darling, we have some questions for you."

Bella's eyes grew wide in fear as Whip's yellow eyes sparkled with a glee she had never seen on anyone before. Snow, on the other hand, crossed his hands and seemed to feel slightly appalled by what Whip was about to do to the girl.

"I think we should…" He started to say but Whip cut him off.

"No time reconsider now. So, listen, girl, you will do what we say or your father's room is going to get a fresh paint." She smirked at the shocked expression the girl gave, all these made the sadistic woman giggle in delight.

Snow knew that sooner or later, the girl would tell them everything.

So, I need to apologize for the long... long hiatus i had put this fanfic. I had to Concentrate on my studies and well then I kinda lost the inspiration, now I though I found it and I am back to business. No flame, any comment is welcome, just no flame. Also, you guessed the world of Twilight is introduced to the story and it's going to be somewhat AU, and I am also considering to remove the whole sparkle thing. And maybe I should move it to a different fandom? Not Kingdom Hearts and TMNT but only Kingdom Hearts?


	5. Chapter 4: Infection

**Chapter 4: Infection**

Snow felt sick, he didn't know why he allowed Whip to do that to Bella. They were inside the forest, both of them took all the information they needed from the girl and hid into the vast expanse of forest. Apparently, this Alice they wanted, could see visions of the future, the accuracy of them was unknown but still, someone capable of witnessing those visions was outstanding. Alice had foreseen that someone was going to attack Bella and she called her and send her family members to save her. Thankfully though, Whip at first tortured Bella, electrocuting her. Snow had to admit that this girl was strong, enough to not give them anything more than a few insults and threats. Alas, she was a goody-two-shoes and she wasn't willing to let Whip tear her father apart. She gave in with the first gashes Whip inflicted on her father.

She told them all they needed and more. Vampires are exceptionally fast and strong, their bodies hard marble or granite-like. Their weakness though is fire. Snow was quick to comment on it, saying that it was a classic thing, Vamps are always weak to fire, in almost every book or movie he'd seen.

Bella also told them that there were some newborn coming, led by another Vampire named Victoria. They wanted her dead and the Cullens, some kind of personal vendetta. Snow didn't care for that, all he wanted was to use that to their advantage. She also told them that the wolf pack will help them fight the newborns. Apparently, they'd also prepare for them too since now they know that they want Alice. There are also the chances of them hiding her somewhere. Though he believed that they wouldn't do that, they need her.

The boy now only needed time to think, Whip had spread her snakes to observe the situation, any move and any commotion will be seen and heard by her.

As the boy was thinking how much they should wait he felt something, a presence. A strong light had landed on the World. Another Keybearer. He quickly turned to Whip who was playing with one of her snakes.

"Things just complicated themselves." He exclaimed earning a questioning glance from his companion. "A Keybearer just arrived."

Whip immediately stood, the snake on her arm vanished inside her while her eyes glowed yellow. "We need to leave then." She twisted her hand and a dark portal opened.

Snow clenched his hand and the portal closed before she could pass through it. "Look, we can't leave yet. We need her, we can't let a self-righteous Keybearer stop us!" He tried to argue with her.

"Really?" She asked incredulously. "Darling you've been calling me an idiot the moment we started the mission but you are acting like one now. What if he is from Radiant, are you willing to do what's necessary if it comes to a fight with a Royal Knight?"

The boy was silenced, but not for long. "Yes, I'll do what I have to do to complete the mission." He said in a strong and confident tone.

The older woman only giggled and laughed at him. "Well, aren't you getting serious, makes me hot and bothered here." She smirked. "Seriously though, I don't think you have what it takes short-stick. You couldn't even stand watching me torture that little girl and her father. You even healed them when we were leaving!"

Snow fisted his palms in anger at her mocking tone. "I. Will. Do. It!"

Whip just sighed from her laughter and wiped a fake tear from her eye. "Fine, your funeral. We scout the area, one of my scout snakes felt the presence of multiple hearts in the vicinity. And tell me if you find the bearer, I would love to see some Key-to-Key action."

…KH:NH…

Snow jumped from one tree to the next. The whole forest was quiet, no animal was heard. The birds had stopped chirping at the first crack in the sky. Sign that it was going to rain again. Whip told him that they couldn't stay in the World for long if they couldn't find that Keybearer now they'd need to leave and come back later.

He had to make sure the multiple hearts weren't this Victoria's army of newborns because then it meant they had to act as fast as they could.

He landed on the damp ground with a thud and saw one of Whip's snakes heading towards him. With an annoyed sound, Snow touched the snake and he immediately linked with it. His vision blackened briefly and then it came back. The only difference, though was that it wasn't his. He was seeing what the snake saw. There was a tremor and he felt the presence of them. Wolves ran almost stepping on the snake. That was a few minutes ago.

Relinquishing control from the snake he immediately ran ahead, jumping around, dodging stray branches or fallen tree trunks. He jumped on top a tree and started slinging himself from tree to tree. He knew that wolves had enhanced hearing and smell, so he hoped that the oncoming rain would mask his scent and he with a few ninja-like skills he picked from Pyro and Lin he'd quieten his footings.

As he hopped around he noticed movement ahead. He stopped and crouched on a branch. There, just a few feet away some bushes shook. His first thought it was Heartless, but he would have felt their dark presence, and so far, he hadn't encountered any except those that attacked Bella.

Suddenly from the bushes, a man came out, dressed only in black shorts and sneakers.

 _What the f…!_

The man was tall and seemed to be pretty much built like a war machine. His hair was disheveled, black and short. Next to him stood another, shorter than him, dressed similarly. Both men were of similar characteristics, strong and tall. Snow would have wandered what they actually did inside the bushes, dressed as they were, but he felt that the taller of the two was a werewolf, and actually one he actually met. Though he didn't know which of the two wolves he was.

He inched ahead to get a better view and noticed that both men were talking, though they were far for him to listen to their words. He warped himself to the trees making sure he wasn't heard from them. From the new vantage, he saw more clearly their features. The tall one, the one he fought wasn't looking harmed in any way as if he hadn't fought with him and Whip. He added accelerated healing to their list of powers.

"Paul, wait up, just because you were attacked by them doesn't mean that anyone with magic is like them. Stella is nothing like them, she's just a little girl for God's sake." The short man said as he followed the fuming man.

This 'Paul' didn't respond with words but only with a snarl, making the other just raise his hands in surrender.

From this close, he could see the men clearly now. Paul was taller than the other, his muscles more defined, there was also a tattoo on his shoulder, circle like symbol. The other though shorter and less defined had the same tattoo on his own shoulder.

 _Pack symbol? Native Americans, so, a Tribe thing._

For some reason, Snow couldn't avert his eyes from Paul. The man's heart was burning bright with a passion and vigor he rarely saw in the confined walls of his Castle. As he watched them exit to a clearing, he warped closer, peeking through the foliage of a tree.

Both Paul and the other man walked towards a girl. Snow was surprised he didn't notice her sooner.

 _Maybe less eye candying next time than._

Snow ignored his own inner voice and observed the girl. She was short, and looked to be around fourteen or somewhere around there. Brown, long hair were swept by the gentle breeze as she watched the two men approach her. She had no hostility in her gray eyes, no caution. She must have known them. Upon closer inspection Snow immediately felt her power and heart. She was the Keybearer who arrived at this world. She was the light he felt. Was she the one he had to eliminate, he wondered incredulously, she was half his size.

His inner voice was quiet, no reply came to him. He huffed and continued his watching. The men were talking to her, and she listened attentively. Paul's tone was aggressive towards her, even his comrade was kind of put out with his behavior. But when the girl started talking, both men calmed immediately. She was walking around them, talking in what seemed to be a hypnotic tone. Snow actually felt a little confused. Paul seemed like a rabid dog just a second ago and now just her words made him calm and a serene expression paint his features.

 _Jealous much? Maybe if you didn't hide behind a mask…_

The boy ignored it and did something unexpected, he took off his helmet and inched further. His helmet was made of glass, if a stray ray of sun light or light from another source hit it, it will reflect it, and give away his position. Or so he said to himself. Truth be told, he actually a sudden urge to just take it off.

At that moment the girl made a wave with her hand and from a flash of light, a Keyblade materialized in her hand, making Paul flinch and Snow tense, making his own hand itch for his own Key.

Her Keyblade was bright, the grip was gray, while the handle guard resembled two angel wings and the hilt was carved with two hearts on each side. The blade was of unique design, two parallel thin blades that one ended in a heart while the other moved to make the teeth of the Key which resembled a star, or a kanji word meaning light. Snow noticed that keychain was a yellow star also.

 _Oathkeeper…_

Sneered something inside him. And Snow summoned his own Keyblade. The Void Gear felt heavy in his hand for some unknown reason. He stood from his crouching position and tensed his muscles. He gathered dark energy around himself and his Key. He positioned his blade in front of him and amassed all the ominous power at its tip. A ball of energy formed and he pointed straight at the trio down in the clearing. By his calculations, the wolves will die by the blast and the girl will probably survive, depending on her skill with her Key.

Once he was ready, he prepared to release the barely contained dark ball. Then he felt a pang in his heart. The girl was laughing, unaware of her imminent demise, same for the wolves now. They looked younger as they talked freely to the girl. Was he going to be the one to sink their hearts to oblivion? He wondered and slowly he felt himself withdraw the power back inside him.

The girl, Stella, was her name if he heard the two men right. Reminded him of a girl in his memories. Mikaela, his best friend. Was he willing to strike down the girl? He asked himself again. The voice inside him was silent, and how could it be any different, it was his own creation, a voice he made to give voice to his doubts and fears.

Snow relaxed his stance, his Keyblade vanished from his hand. He watched as the trio headed towards the other side of the forest, probably to their home in that reservation. Just then, one of the men stopped and seemed to smell the air. The girl and the short man continued their way inside the forest uninterrupted. For a brief moment, he felt his heart beat faster as he thought that the man, Paul, looked at him through the long distance. For the first time, he noticed the man's eyes, warm brown, filled with vigor for life and barely constrained rage inside.

Snow just vanished in the shadows and run back to Whip. His heart beating like a drum. He failed, yet again. He wasn't ready to do what was necessary and now Alice had the protection of a Keybearer.

..KH:NH…

To say that Whip was not pleased was an understatement. She looked like she would rip the boy's head off, with her bare hands. Once he returned from his 'tactical retreat', he tried to explain himself, even lie, but her snakes saw him. He couldn't lie, lest he wanted things to get worst.

"For f &#'s sake!" She yelled throwing her hand to the air, making Snow flinch at her outburst. "You stupid son of a bitch!" He never heard her get so vulgar before and he actually was kind of scared. "I told you we had to leave but no, you had to grow a pair and that, only to lose it a moment later!" She screamed at him.

"I said I am sorry, I guess I am not ready for it!" He apologized back at her, averting his eyes to the ground.

Whip seemed to calm down, her expression took a grim appearance. "You'll never save your World." Her tone was slow and deep, held no real emotion to it.

Snow's head snapped back at her and for a brief moment he felt a surge of power, but it quickly vanished. He bowed his head and opened a portal for the Castle.

"I'll… go back, talk to Lin about something. We'll have to return tomorrow anyway." His voice was laced with sad and dull tone.

Whip didn't respond, didn't even spare him a look as if he was nothing more than dirt. She vanished into her own portal and he did the same.

…KH:NH…

Snow's steps were fast inside the halls of the Castle. He had made his mind, he was sick and tired of always failing. He couldn't stop his world from being devoured and he couldn't stop his weak heart from preventing him from accomplishing a mission that would benefit the Worlds and save his family. Why was it him that survived and not his brothers? They were always better at everything than him.

"Not now." He said to Pyro as he passed by him in the hallway, successfully cutting off his greeting.

He reached Lin's room and knocked on the door, rather forcefully. There was no reply and he knocked again, with more force. This time though, he heard movement on the inside and he stepped back slightly. The door opened and he came face to face with Lin. The old samurai glanced at him indifferently and then beckoned for the boy to enter the room.

Snow opened his mouth to speak but Lin raised a finger, stopping the boy. Lin sat on mat cross-legged and closed his eyes. He seemed to meditate. Snow found the time to observe the room. It was almost barren of anything, there was only a bed in the corner of the room a mat on the floor and a display with seven swords of different designs. There was also a stand with an armor. It wasn't the usual armor Lin wore, this one was bright. It seemed in a way holy even.

Snow's attention returned to Lin and was met with silence. The man continued to meditate ignoring the boy. Snow had never felt so infuriated in his life, Lin disregarded him, he acted like he wasn't in the room.

Snow opened his mouth to shout at the old man only for him to speak first.

"I sense a great turmoil inside of you. What is it that you require?" The man's words confused Snow, he wasn't used to this side of the man. He seemed caring even.

Snow swallowed loudly and looked at his feet. "Well…"

Snow told him about the mission and how it went, he told the man how he fought wolves, how he used his mind to bail when there were more wolves coming. He told him how unhelpful Whip was, how she was completely useless save for her snakes. He told him how they saved Bella and her father only for later to torture information about Alice out of her. He then proceeded on telling him how he healed both of them when Whip was about to leave, how he felt an immense pain in his heart, how he felt guilty for hurting them. Then how he tried to hide it from Whip, his guilt, and how he devised a plan to capture the Vampire, using the collected information. Then he continued saying how he felt the presence of another Keybearer and how he convinced Whip to proceed with their plan and not abandon the mission. He told him how he promised to Whip that he'd find that Keybearer and vanquish them if they were going to be trouble. And finally, he admitted his weakness, his own bleeding heart. He said to him exactly how he couldn't bring himself to eliminate the two wolves and then the girl.

All of these, while Lin listened, without interrupting the boy. Not even when there were clear tears running down from his blue eyes. Once the teenager stopped his story Lin hummed, deep in thought. Then with a snap of his fingers, he materialized another mat, right in front of him and motioned for the boy to sit. The boy did so, reluctantly and he tried to copy the samurai's stance.

"There are two sides fighting inside you, boy. I should have realized it sooner this. It is nothing I can make stop, not by sparring or lecturing you." The old man started to share a piece of his mind.

"So, our spars and training have been for nothing?" Snow asked incredulously, his shoulders tensing feeling the same surge of power inside of him.

"You have a great power inside you, Snow. But you fight it, constantly."

"I don't…" Snow exclaimed weakly.

The man just stared at him with wise yellow eyes. He stroked his goatee and then begun talking again. "You do, your light does."

Snow gasped and looked down, clenching his palms.

"Snow, you have to accept the Darkness, embrace it."

The young boy's eyes snapped to Lin's. "Look, I don't want to become like 'him'."

Lin hummed again and closed his eyes. "Your light isn't strong enough. The Key choose the darkness inside you, not your light. All your powers and all that make you, a Keybearer, are the dark that your light is trying to squash away."

"I don't know. I promised her…"

"You will never be able to save your World." Lin repeated Whip's words making the boy flinch. "Not unless you are willing to make sacrifices."

 _Mikaela, I promise, I will become a…_

"What do I do?" Sniffling his nose he turned to look at the samurai, seeking guidance.

"Summon your Key." Lin commanded, his voice filled with authority.

Snow did as told and spread his hand summoning his Void Gear in a black flash of dark light.

"Now, embed it on the ground in front of you." The boy did so and Lin continued. "The Key is a direct conduit of power, your power, you will have to meditate on it. Let your mind and heart open up to it, and don't fight it. Let it surge in you with its immense power." Snow closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. "No, like that. Calm your breathing. Relax your mind. Let all stray thoughts be swept away into the background. Breath in… and out."

Snow did as told, his mind started to calm from the racy thoughts he had, but it still wasn't enough. Bella's tearful eyes came to his mind and he frowned, her father's wounded torso from Whip's claws plagued him.

"Accept your actions boy, what's done is done, accept them and move on." Lin commanded but it wasn't an actual command, more like a wise advice. "Snow, your heart is trying to expel the darkness as if it's an **infection**. Light and dark coexist in us all, there is no heart, save the 7 princesses, that doesn't have darkness in it. You have to accept it as a part of you and then let your Key empower it. I know that your thoughts, your feelings, emotions are hindering your attempts. Expel them, like Pyro did, like Alec, me and Ran. Become one with the power inside you."

Snow let his mind wander, his heart open and his thoughts on the Key, on Void Gear. The darkness he felt when he first took the blade to his possession, when it accepted him as a wielder, it was still there, ever present. Though it grew in power over the years.

Darkness grew from the Keyblade, spreading around, circling the boy. Inviting him into the cold embrace. Lin's mouth twitched upwards. "That's it, boy, allow it inside your heart."

His heart beat like a drum, his ears screamed at him, eyes burned, mouth dried. He felt weird, he felt himself being stuffed. He felt something pushing him. Pushing him out of his own skin, then it stopped. The dark aura left the Keyblade, now only around Snow. He felt, no, he didn't 'felt' anything. He knew there was a presence in his body too. Like a second mind, another consciousness.

"Snow?" Lin asked.

The boy didn't answer. The teenager's mind was bustling with new ideas. New possibilities, new ambition. A new drive to collect χ-pieces. χ-blade, there was a strong sense of purpose now. His eyes opened revealing golden yellow orbs. His eyes, he felt them new. There it was again, feeling. He knew he felt, but at the same time, it was rejected. The feeling it existed, he knew that, but as if it wasn't going to him but to someone else, it was gone. Only the aftertaste was there. He didn't care though. He 'felt' like everything was new. His brain was feeling new, his heart even.

The boy stood, Lin did too. Snow grasped the Key and it vanished. He had a mission to complete, he had a job to do. Acquire the Vampire, collect χ-pieces, unite the χ-blade and unleash its power to the Nexus of Worlds. And of course, eliminate any threat to the mission.

 _Only when you defeat me on this arena, you would ever be able to accomplice your goals_ _._

"I am anxious to destroy you in the arena Master Lin, thank you for your support." His lips twitched into a predatory smile.

 _Let's go save the Worlds._

Snow exited the room, leaving behind a smiling Lin. Lin turned to his right where the stand's shadow shifted and rose ever so slightly. "Lord Asmodeus, the plan proceeds as normal, the boy accepted the darkness. Vanitas awoke."

The shadow moved again and vanished. Lin sat on the mat again, contempt with himself.

…KH:NH…

Snow walked outside the portal. His feet splashing in the mud. He headed towards the forest, which he knew the battle with those newborns will begin. Whip was assigned another mission elsewhere and she'd be late to come to him. He cared not. He would complete the mission alone with no trouble.

The forest was quiet as usual, but to his new sense of hearing, he could understand this quietness. The quiet before the storm. It soon would begin and it would end just as fast. The flora on the ground was leaning away from him, the trees inching away. They feared him, the World itself feared his presence.

 _Good._

Soon there were the cries of battle, the shouts, and the screams. There was a darkness coming, Heartless maybe. He walked to a clearing to witness men and women rip each other apart. A female vampire decapitated another vampire with her bare hands. There was no blood, just the sound of marble breaking. A wolf jumped out of nowhere and bit a vampire, ripping him in half. He waited for the aftermath in silence.

At some point, he noticed the Keybearing girl, Stella. She was helping a gigantic wolf by burning a couple of Vampires that held it down. Then the girl headed to help a pixie-like woman, Alice.

"No time to lose then." He exclaimed gleefully and made his presence known, running to a Vampire and grabbing it by its neck and letting the darkness tear him from the inside out. What fell to the ground were small pieces slowly burning by the dark flames.

Another Vampire headed right at him and Snow sidestepped putting his newly materialized Keyblade to her middle and he shot a blast of fire. The explosion tore her in half. A wolf was about to make a jump for him but he warped to the wolf's side and with shift kick forced it away.

"Watch out!" Yelled Stella, just in time to warn a huge Vampire of Snow's blade.

The Vampire made for a grab at Snow but he got slashed in the middle by him. The man was surprised at the speed the black-clad stranger showed.

"Emmet, run!" Another Vampire yelled and Emmet felt a wolf smash into him, sending both to the ground.

Snow had grasped an attacking wolf and blew it with a blast of dark energy unto the Vampire. Both the man and the wolf grunted as they rose to their feet slowly. The dark teenager glanced at Stella. She was next a large russet wolf, this one seemed larger than any other wolf. Maybe it was the leader, he thought and before Stella could understand his intentions he already launched himself forward. Everything was in slow motion when he passed by Vampires and wolves. Actually, they were slow and he was just too fast for them. He rushed right next to Stella. Shock in her eyes, as they trailed his movement in slow motion. His Keyblade was to his side, slashing the russet wolf's side. Making a huge gash of a wound. The wolf howled but then whined in pain as it received a blast of dark energy.

The wolf was sent feet away, smashing on a rock. Snow heard a sickening crack but he paid no mind to it. The wolf transformed into his human form, revealing a man, crying in pain clenching his sides in wails of pain.

"Jacob!" Stella gasped.

Snow dodged a slash from Stella, he parried a few more and then he huffed in annoyance. He charged with his own slashes, with speed and strength that overwhelmed her. Soon, she made a mistake and left herself open for a kick in the middle and a punch to the face.

"Stella!" Cried a woman that immediately rushed at Snow with speed that made her seem like a blur.

The dark boy grasped her fist, which he was almost ready to receive in his face. The woman looked shocked when she tried to get her hand back and couldn't. "Oops." Snow mocked and twisted her arm so much that it actually seemed to break in half

"Rosalie!" Cried the huge man and was about to charge when Stella got in his way, her cheek red by the punch.

"Stop, he'll burn her if you get near!" Stella said. "Please, let her go!" She pleaded.

"Where is the fun in that girly-poo?" Asked Whip as she emerged from a dark portal, her whip's clenching two stray Vampires by their neck. "Why don't you go to sleep, hm?" Just as she said that snakes emerged from the ground and nipped and bit at her feet, one managed to bite her, but the rest were slain by her Oathkeeper.

Both Vampires that Whip held wore robes, black in color. And looked in pain.

"Hey Snow, nice job. The wolves are licking their wounds, the Vamps paralyzed and look what I've got here." She pointed to the two robed Vampires.

One of the robed Vampires was female, while the other was male. The male was young, similar age to the girl, but looks deceived in their cases. Their features were angelic, they seemed like siblings.

"I disposed of two others that were with them." She said bored as she trained her eyes to the girl.

"You didn't dispose of them Whip, you just dismembered them and let your snakes bite them continuously." Another voice said as Pyro fell from the sky, landing with a soft thud.

"Well, it was just too much fun to let it end." She cooed, licking her lips as she glanced at the piles of dead bodies. "Anyway, Snow, meet Alec, yeah I know, right? He's better than ours. And this is Jane. Stop it, it tickles!" She giggled and said to the girl who glared at her with red enraged eyes.

"Why aren't you reeling in pain?" Jane screamed at Whip.

The reply was only a smirk. The other Vampires watched the exchange and made an attempt to leave, only for Snow to snap his fingers and an invisible wall appeared around them, making their escape impossible. The huge Vampire named Emmet punched the wall, only for him to winch as the only thing he got were cracks in his fist, while the wall just flashed and some diagonal shapes appeared, only to disappear again. Stella spoke some words softly and then looked at Emmet, shaking her head she whispered a 'no'. She seemed to frown in though and stumble lightly.

Rosalie struggled in Snow's grip and she elbowed him in his chest. With a grunt Snow released her and she ran to Emmet. But the wall separated them. Another Vampire, a blond man, after he reassured a woman he called Esme, walked calmly towards the wall, just a few feet away from Snow. It seemed that he wanted to negotiate. Stella walked beside him, looking paler by the second.

"Please, we've done no harm to you, we don't understand what you want from us and surely our demise isn't it. Otherwise, you'll have burned us all." His tone was calm, but everyone could hear the desperation in his voice.

"We want Alice, the one with the visions." Snow stated and pointed a finger at the small woman.

"What would you want with her?" Asked Stella, sweat started to form on her forehead. She looked ill, but she hid well from her friends.

A curly haired man rushed forward and narrowed his eyes at the boy. "You can't have her." He said with restrained anger.

"Says who?" Whip retorted and giggled as Jane screamed at her, her eyes red as blood from rage.

Pyro sighed. "Don't bother, she is a masochist, there is no pain you can inflict on her that will save you." He simply stated making Jane turn to him. "And I am a Nobody, no pain, and no need to blind me or just deprive me of my senses, I am nonexistent, there are no senses to take away." He said to the boy who tried to apparently take away his senses.

"He is right, I can't even feel any emotion from him." Curly said as he examined the cloaked man. "But he does feel, Alec, concentrate on her, Jane him!"

The twin Vampires complied and immediately turned their gaze on Snow and Whip. Snow hissed and gasped loudly as he fell to his knees, the invisible wall flickered in existence, but it held. Stella seeing this, touched with her hand the wall and muttered something, she was trying to cast a spell. Whip on the other hand panicked, having suddenly lost her senses and she let go of her whips and released the duo. Alec marched at Whip and Jane at Snow. The latter slowly stood to his full height, making Jane halt.

"You have no idea what pains I've felt in my life, yours though... just redundant." Snow's voice wasn't his own.

"Both of you stop." Pyro exclaimed. Raising his hand and a pillar of fire burst from the ground, right in front of Alec, causing him to jump back in surprise. "We are here on Asmodeus' orders, Aro authorized us to acquire the Vampire."

The twins stopped immediately and glanced at Pyro. They looked terrified. They glanced at each other and started backing away. "There will be consequences for this." Jane threw an empty threat.

Their retreat caused the other Vampires to tense and look at each other worried.

"Where are you going? Don't leave us!" Stella cried out in panic. The blond man beside her had to steady her, she had difficulty standing.

"And take your pals, my snakes let them a minute ago, you might want to search for their limbs though." Whip said at their backs. "Haha, well, that was fun. Hey, Pyro, you took care of the girl and her bf vamp?" She turned to ask the Nobody who nodded the affirmation.

"Why… why did they leave?" Stella asked, her voice weak.

Before the blond man could reply he quickly bent to hold her as she fainted. "You, Witch, what did you do to her?" Asked the man.

"What have you done to Edward?" Rosalie asked, her eyes locked to Pyro's own. "Carlisle, he did something to Edward." She stated and tried to punch the wall.

Whip giggled and turned to Pyro, ignoring the blond woman and the man's question. "Pally, I'm going now, resume my mission, remember, now you own me now." Then she turned to Carlisle. "She's been poisoned, of course, have fun now, see ya!"

She disappeared inside a dark portal that materialized where she stood. Carlisle gasped at Whip's statement and looked at the young girl then back at Pyro. "Please, tell me, did you kill my son."

Pyro glanced at him, his face unflinching by that of the man's agonized pain over the possibility of losing his son. "No, I haven't. The mission didn't require his demise neither the girls nor the wolf's that was with them."

"Actually, you weren't part of the mission, to begin with. Why are you here?" Snow looked at the Nobody after his long silence.

Pyro looked at him, he seemed thinking his reply and then he turned to Alice. "If you come willingly, you and your family members won't be harmed, if you don't…" He trailed off, letting her think of her options.

All the Vampires looked at her and immediately they voiced out their denial. Alice though closed her eyes. She took a step and opened them again, her yellow eyes met first the curly man's eyes. He had rushed to her and reached for her hand.

"Jasper, I love you." She said and kissed him.

Alice then proceeded to maneuver herself around him, taking him by surprise. She ran towards the Nobody and each member of her family tried to catch her, in vain though as she displayed her power's capabilities. She maneuvered and sidestepped just in time every time someone tried to get a hold of her. She passed through the wall and stopped running when she was in front of Pyro.

"Why can't I see any future around you?" She inquired him.

"Alice, what the hell are you doing?" Carlisle incredulously cried as he tried to stop his daughter, only for the wall to prevent him.

Pyro grabbed a hold of her hand. "Because… I don't really exist." And with that, he opened a portal. Guiding her there he looked for a moment at Snow.

Snow nodded at him and he looked at the other Vampires. When Pyro closed the portal behind him, Snow made a slight wave with his hand. The wall flashed in existence and then vanished in a flash of light. When the light dimmed and vanished Snow was gone too.

…KH:NH…

 _You know, we make a pretty good team._

Snow jumped on his own skin. Snow looked around in the swirling darkness. He didn't get out of the Corridors when he heard the voice, his inner turmoil given speech. This time though, it was not from inside his mind. He heard it from right beside him. There was a clench in his heart and then nothing. Usually the darkness was suffocating inside the Corridors of Darkness. But now, he felt comfortable in them, welcome even.

 _Nasty means of transportation those Corridors, a heart full of Light and no Darkness is just not cut for it. Glad you have mine though._

Snow started to sweat. The voice was behind him. His heart sped in sudden fear.

 _Oh spooky, we are going to be such great friends._

He felt cold hands on his shoulder, grasping him tightly. A cold breath on the back of his neck.

He quickly turned and saw nothing, only a maniacal laughter, filled with joy and wonder. 

* * *

Author's Notes

So, this ends the visit to the Twilight world. Also I made the vampires a tad less powerful and Snow a little OP(in my opinion he isn't but anyway)

You'll find out what happens to Stella in her own story, which I'll add later. Also, I obviously use the movies adaption of Twilight and particularly Eclipse, just slightly AU. Originally intended for Whip to kill Demetri and Felix and only spare Alec and Jane, but i changed my mind and I actually didn't feel comfortable with an OC killing characters. Also instead of a vampire injuring Jacob, i put Snow to do it. Bree aparently is alive and you'll see her more in Stella's story. Oh, and of course you just witnessed Snow's first romance option, Paul.

More chapters coming soon, I'm on a roll baby!


	6. Chapter 5 Unversed Part 1

Chapter 5: Unversed Part 1

 _Mikaela, grab my hand!_

Snow jumped in his bed, gasping for air. The environment around him felt different, heavy and tense. He stood up and glanced around. He went and sat on his frozen chair and laid his head on top the table, a way to cool off. It has been a week since his successful mission since he opened up to the Darkness inside the Keyblade. He yawned tired and went to get a book from his bookcase. It was a research on Nobodies, written by Ansem and completed by someone named Namine.

Once upon a time, he had promised to Pyro that he'd learn more about his kind and he'd find a way to help him. Even if things were tense between them now, he still would uphold his promise to him. At least that's a promise he hasn't broken.

 _Yet._

Taunted the voice. Snow called it that now. He was sure he was going mad, but after a couple of days and the constant bickering from the voice, he ultimately accepted it as either the Keyblade itself or as the Darkness talking to him. There were signs too. Once in a while, he may catch a glimpse of a pair of red glowing eyes, watching him from afar. One time, he saw it just behind his reflection on the frozen table. He wasn't proud, but he had screamed like a five-year-old girl.

 _Well, we know you are a screamer, makes me wonder where else you scream tastily like that._

"Shut up." He mumbled at the voice and opened the book. "There are just a few pages, let me finish and then torment away!"

 _Hmm_

The voice in response hummed. Snow begun reading, he was at the pages were Namine had pieced together her own research to Ansem's, making it complete. It made him wonder, who she was and if she still lived. There were legends, about Ansem, and someone named Xehanort, but it was lost in the years.

 _Grr!_

It surprised Snow, the way the voice seemed to growl at every time he mentioned that name. He did it the first day, thinking that the voice was some ancient evil being like in the stories, like Xehanort. Sad to say, Snow learned that day that this voice, had enough control and power to send him waves of a grueling headache.

"What?" Snow gasped out as he saw a series of words.

 _The Nobody, as it may have no heart, it can acquire one and the body would replace it the first chance it gets. That being said, there's been cases of Nobodies, exhibiting real emotion but due to their nature, it is disregarded as the failsafe they naturally have. Emotions displayed due to the memory of ever feeling them._

Snow grinned to himself, maybe he'd get to keep that promise after all. He stood up and put the book back to its place. And left his room, he had a mission today, another World and another χ-piece to take.

 _Well boy, I still prefer the first option on saving your boyfriend, find his Heartless and kill it, then kill him too. That should put him back in place… or not._

Gran Pulse was the World's name and he was anxious to apply his new power to good use.

…KH:NH…

This World was vast. Enormous expanses of nothing but grassland. For a second he got the sudden childish urge to just run, run like there's no tomorrow. He disregarded it immediately, he had a mission to complete. There was no time for games. The animals, if he could call them that, were unique in shape and appearance. Some of them were enormous, able to be sighted from a large distance, some dragon-like while others were small and looked like slugs, some of them even looked like Nocturne Heartless or one of their elemental variety.

 _More like a freak-show if you ask me._

"I didn't." Mumbled Snow and examined the landscape.

He walked on top a hillside and watched below. Creatures of all kinds seemed to go about their things, uninterrupted. Well, Snow was about to interrupt them anyway. Ran said that somewhere in this World there was a χ-piece. The sad thing was that usually, Snow could feel their presence and easily find them, pinpointing their exact location, but ever since he bonded with his Keyblade he lost that ability. Oh well, he gained so much more in exchange anyway.

Snow walked at the edge, taking a step into the empty. His descent started fast and slowed down just as his feet touched down. Some slug or even flan-like creatures, he couldn't describe them better, so he settled to refer them as flans, they noticed him and attacked him. They were short, barely reached his thighs, almost looked like a pudding with hands, eyes, and mouth, they looked less like slugs from this close distance and more like flan or pudding. At first, Snow was curious, until a gelatinous, sort of, arm smacked at him. It didn't do much, save for angering him.

He summoned his Keyblade and with a simple and bored downward slash destroyed the flan. Another tried to attack him similarly and he just kicked away, smudging his boots. With an annoyed sigh, he snapped his finger and the flan burst in dark flames.

 _Weak to fire, just burn them._

Snow nodded to himself, but actually to the voice. He ran to one, turning The Void Gear and holding it in a reverse manner, he leaped just enough and hacked it overhead. Once he was on the ground he turned slashing his Keyblade sideways in the empty air causing a wave of fire. The spell burned the remaining flans in one hit.

"Huh, weak." He mumbled to himself.

 _Which way, sport?_

Snow hummed to himself and thought about his options. The land was vast and somewhere in those plains was what he needed to achieve his mission. Asking around was out of the question, just ravaging the place would be stupid and besides, he wasn't Ran or Whip, that was their play-style. So, should he go east, south, north or west?

 _North is a good place to start_.

Having decided, he headed east, ignoring the voice's advice.

 _Fool._

With the voice ignored he marched ahead, killing a few more flan creatures, just for the heck of it.

He walked through the central expanse. The eastern side of it seemed somewhat rocky. The hills were more prominent there. Just out of nowhere though, a large dog-wolf-scaly thing, that's what came to his mind, jumped at him. It was fast and he was caught by surprise when in sprang from nearby. Snow had to dodge-roll out of its way. The thing seemed to be running away from something. The boy turned in time to block a large claw from mauling his face. The force sent him back, enough to make him glare at the creature. This one was larger and more feral looking, seemed like a dragon or a behemoth of sorts.

 _That's how it's called, idiot, Behemoth, and the other thing it's called Gorgonopsid._

Snow disregarded the information and he rushed at the beast. He first struck its legs, the beast growled in rage and bashed the boy with its clawed paw sending it aside. The boy gasped when the Behemoth rushed and jumped at him. Snow just cloaked himself in shadows and dashed to his side with enhanced speed. Avoiding the beast's bounce. He stopped to study it. The beast roared and a thunder struck Snow.

"Argh!"

 _Pay attention, its forelegs are vastly strong and shoots thunder, so be quicker than it, avoid its claws. Spells are okay, not lightning though, I am guessing it's immune._

The Behemoth was prowling the boy like a predator would do its prey. Snow wasn't going to be anyone's food tonight and he shot from his Key a barrage of ice shards. With the creature distracted he used his enhanced speed to strike at it relentlessly.

"Freeze!" He growled and stabbed the glowing Key to the creature, freezing its front leg and most of its side solid.

"Shadows, hide me!" he cloaked himself with the Key's inner darkness and charged at the beast, shattering the frozen parts and ultimately passing right through it.

The beast died in anguished howls as dark tendrils still lingered in its body. Snow, more careful now, about his surroundings, walked to the Easter Tors and gasped at what he saw. There was a gigantic creature there, larking about. It seemed peaceful with its surroundings though. None of the other beings seemed to attack or disturb it. The creature, other than its immense size, had other features worth contemplating. It was a cross between a lizard and a tortoise being. It had a long tail, long legs protruding from its carapace. The head was long and two large tusks immerged from the sides of its mouth.

 _Before you try to name it, let me provide you with a name for it._

"Okay, listening."

 _It's called Adamantoise, powerful, devastatingly so. Don't confront it, just stay clear of it. I told you north is the place you should head._

"How do you know that, are you omniscient or something?" He guessed it was probably that since he is talking to the darkness from his Keyblade.

 _Thanks for the compliment but no. I just know._

Snow huffed and examined the area. The giant was far away and it seemed to ignore the other smaller creatures that litter the place. He couldn't see any trace or even something for the χ-piece to be hidden. Usually a Heartless indicates the piece's location, but so far none has appeared. He walked closer but still no sign of it. He spotted around a few Gorgonopsid and some similar things, which actually had a kind of fur on them, the voice said they were named Megistotherian. Large creatures who were mostly accompanied by Gorgonopsids.

There was a lot of smaller creatures, the voice called them Ranga, the creatures were similar to the Nocturnes in Snow's mind, but those didn't fly. What caught Snow's immediate attention was what looked like a cactus.

 _Cactuar, I think. Rare creatures, when killed sometimes rare loot drops. It's worth a shot, don't you think?_

Snow hummed to himself and sneaked the best way he could towards it. Upon closer inspection, the creature was an actual cactus, with hands and legs, even holes for eyes and mouth. This World just got stranger in a second.

 _Agreed._

Even the Heartless weren't so ridiculous.

 _Not agreed._

Sometimes it irked Snow, how the voice read every thought he had. But, he came to the realization that he just had to endure it.

He was closer to the Cactuar now and just as he was about to strike it with his Keyblade a huge lizard-armadillo like creature, Navidon, the voice was quick to supply, stepped too close to them, making a loud noise. The Cactuar was quick to notice Snow with his Key raised to hack it. In response to the sight, it kicked Snow and run with a surprising speed and grace, for a being whose limbs were actually stiff and immobile.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Grumbled the boy.

The Navidon heard him and it turned its attention to him. Snow immediately felt a powerful ice attack strike him, but he actually didn't try to evade at all. He just absorbed it. He had no time for this and so he finished it quickly. He rushed at the monster with an extreme speed and hacked it, noticing that its armor was resistant he jumped high and fired a barrage of 'firaga' and with a quick dive, cut the creature's head off. With the thing taken care of, he noticed the Cactuar far away.

He soon ran after the cactus creature, hot on its heels. The dark-clad boy ignored any monster that saw him or even tried to attack him. The Cactuar led him to some ruins. A building was ahead and the whole area was littered with the remains of structures. Green ugly and round things, that the voice called Goblins, lived around here too. Among the creatures that were found around the ruins were what looked to be a crystal-like creature, tall and strong and seemed humanoid. It had another variant that had wings and flew around.

Snow had cornered the Cactuar to a corner between some ruins and a rough hillside. With a gleeful smile that was hidden by his helmet, the boy cloaked himself in shadows and charged at the cacti. The Cactuar responded by shooting needles to the boy, but it was of no use, the dark aura that surrounded the boy vaporized the needles before they pierced his body. The cacti went up in dark flames, leaving nothing behind but a doll. Snow picked the doll and examined it. There was a button and once he pressed it, needles shot from it.

"Ai, shit!" He painfully threw the doll down and burned it with a burst of angry fire.

 _Hahahaha!_

The voice, from a small snickering, moved to a full blown laughter as Snow slowly and a little painfully took off needles that pierced his body.

"I am happy that you find it funny." He said in an exasperated tone. "Can you shut the hell up now?" He barked at the voice.

The voice continued to snigger but periodically stopped. Snow tried his best to examine the area. Crumbled buildings where here and there, goblins were around and the things that the voice simply indicated as Cie'th. Snow moved around the ruins, examining and searching for signs of the χ-piece. In his search, some unfortunate goblins and Cie'th attacked him, only to meet their end.

No χ-piece was found and he decided to go back at the central expanse, only to see that there was another Cactuar. Having gathered frustration from the previous one, he shot a large ball of fire at it, as it neared the cacti it burst into three smaller balls of fire, closing it by three sides. The result was a burning cactus running around until the flames evaporated it.

Snow walked to the central expanse, only to notice something he had ignored before. It was a floating crystal, surrounded by what looked like a semi-circle of some kind of metal. The crystal depicted some kind of woman. Snow touched the crystal out of curiosity.

" _Ye who walk the dark, ye who has two sets of eyes. I name thee Darkspawn, ye shall be vanquished by the light's oncoming wrath."_ An eerie voice said from the crystal.

"Screw you, shit-stone." Snapped Snow with a dark tone in his voice.

The voice was quiet, Snow somewhat waited the voice to snap at the crystal and not himself. So, irked by the voice's absence of reaction, he decided to just ignore the crystal altogether and walk away.

…KH:NH…

After hours of continuous searching, Snow found nothing. Not on the western side of the Archylte Steppe, that's what the voice named it officially, nor at the northern high plains. There was a place he thought that it may have the piece, but it, after thoroughly searching and harassing some horse-sized chickens and some hilarious pecks he received after he rudely plucked at their feathery tails, decided to leave the birds alone in fear of having to replace his helmet.

Once he was about to leave the Steppe, he saw a group of actual people heading towards the central expanse. Snow was immensely surprised. So far he hadn't encountered any human being, but now a whole group of them marched down. The group consisted of two women, a girl, two men and a boy. Snow could immediately feel their light, strong in their hearts. For some reason it made him sneer and bare his teeth in anger.

Snow decided to approach them, peacefully, maybe he could gain their trust and thankfully they won't be able to see his scowl through the helmet. He walked towards them and he took a better look at their appearance. Noticeably, one of the women, a wavy pink-haired woman was the leader of the group. She was young and she had a strong and confident air around her. She wore a mini skirt, showing the majority of her toned thighs, knee-high boots, and fingerless gloves. A white jacket adorned her upper body, on her left shoulder she had a green metallic pauldron with yellow stripes. On her middle, she had a sheath, for a sword, maybe.

Just behind her was the other woman. She was a few inches taller than the first. Her wavy dark hair had a braid on her left ear. Her skin was a tad darker than the pink's. She wore a blue sari-looking garb, beneath it he could see the black bra top. Leather brown open-toed boots reached her knees. She had a white symbol on her right shoulder while another on her left. She too seemed confident in her walk.

The girl was a few steps behind her and talked to one of the men. She was shorter than everyone, except the boy. Her hair was bright red and tied in two pigtails. A pink halter top and an orange shirt adorned her body. A fur pelt was tied to her middle.

The man she was talking with, was tall, dark-skinned and with an afro haircut, he could just make out something yellow picking about from his hair. The man seemed to be older than the rest maybe 35 years old or 40. He wore an olive coat over a white button-up shirt and khaki trousers and buckled black boots.

To one side of the elder man was another one, even taller than him. He wore a black bandana on his head and few long light blond hair fell from underneath it. He had a slight stumble of a beard. He wore a beige long trench coat and light blue vest over a black shirt. A striped blue scarf hanged from his belt. The man was huge and bulky in contrast to the older man's lither build.

The other side of the older man was a small boy, barely 5 feet tall. He had silver hair that seemed to shine from the sunlight. He wore an orange and yellow jacket and a green neckerchief over his black shirt. He also wore green cargo pants and light green boots. On his right hand, he had a yellow wristband along with black glove which had white palms, unlike to his left which he had only a similar glove.

They noticed him immediately and seemed to tense. None spoke first, the pink-haired woman just grasped the weapon she had on the sheath. The blue dressed woman had also a similar reaction, she grasped the spear she held to her hand. Snow thought of a way to seem friendly and not too threatening. He raised his hands high in a peaceful manner.

"I'm not going to hurt any of you, just curious, where you came from?" He said in a smooth voice.

"Hurt? Us?" The woman with the blue dress was quick to reply in a cocky manner.

"Well, we are wondering the same thing, there haven't been any human here." Said the dark-skinned man.

"I'm not from here and I am assuming you aren't either." The black-clad boy came to the conclusion.

The red-haired girl skipped past her friends and came near Snow. "Well, you must be from Cocoon too then, must have found a way here. That doesn't matter, I think that introductions are in order, right?" She offered her hand to the boy. "I am Vanille."

Snow grasped her hand and shook it. "I am Snow, nice to see another human soul in this grassland."

The pink haired woman made an annoyed noise and mumbled something along the lines of "another Snow". The others snickered at her reaction.

"Well, there will be a problem, I'm named Snow too and what's up with the helmet?" The huge man said and smirked walking towards the boy.

"You can call me… Yukio then, it's what a friend of mine calls me." He said, thinking of Melody's nickname. "Sorry about the helmet, extra protection. Gotta have it with the things down there." He pointed to the direction he had encountered the creatures before.

Snow, the man, nodded and made way for the older man. "I am Sazh, nice to see a human too." He offered his hand and Yukio, shook it, he could feel the man's slight distrust. "The shy kid is Hope." He gestured to the short boy.

Hope waved at him. Yukio immediately narrowed his eyes at the boy. You would think that he was shy, but he knew that the boy had started to study him. Smart little critter that one.

The tall woman came to stand near Sazh and offered her hand too. "The name's Fang."

Once Yukio gave his, he felt her tighten it around his, until he could see her white knuckles. At first, he didn't feel it but he eventually felt a slight pain. She released him and backed away, somewhat surprised. Lastly came the leader, the pink-haired woman.

"Lightning." She exclaimed, without giving her hand or letting her frown go.

Yukio nodded at her and felt thankful that she didn't give her hand, all that contact made him feel nauseous. She too seemed to study him. Her posture and way she moved seemed military style. A soldier maybe.

 _I don't know about you, but me likes._

Yukio ignored the voice and thought of something to say, but Vanille beat him to it.

"What are you doing here on Gran Pulse anyway?" Her question was simple and curious, but he could feel their eyes on him.

"I am looking for something, it's very important to me. Worth even traveling here." Yukio said as simply as he could.

"What is it?" Asked Snow, the blond man crossed his arms.

"Something personal, what about you?" He averted the question back at him.

He huffed and looked at Yukio with a smirk. "We are trying to figure out what to do with our f…"

Lightning elbowed the man and narrowed her eyes. "We don't have to tell him, especially if he isn't willing to show his face."

Yukio sighed loudly and backed away from them.

"Light, listen, he doesn't seem to be with PSICOM." Snow tried to reason.

"You can't know that." Fang agreed with Lightning, nodding at her. "Besides, I really want to see his face now."

"Look, I don't trust you enough to show my face either. So, if you don't want to trust me, then I am going." Yukio said

Just before he managed to turn around, a pack of Gorgonopsid and two Megistotherian jumped out of nowhere and attacked them. Yukio jumped out of the way doing a backflip and kicking a Gorgonopsid in the belly. Lightning was the first to take out a gun from the sheath and shot at one before the gun turned to a blade and hacked at another charging Gorgonopsid. Sazh got two pistols and started shooting repeatedly at them, while Fang used her spear to combat them. Hope hang back throwing a boomerang at a Gorgonopsid. Snow rushed ahead, punching Megistotherian, while he cast a protect spell to Sazh when a Gorgonopsid tried to bite him. Lightning rushed with her gunblade cloaked in ice and she slashed at one of the monsters.

Fang cast a slow spell making a couple of Gorgonopsids slower on their feet. Yukio summoned the Void Gear and with a swift leap in the sky he shot two ice shards, piercing one of the monsters. He used one of his old moves, one he called sonic blade, and rushed at high speeds at three other, hitting them and making them stagger. Much to Vanille's surprise, Yukio's Keyblade flew passed her as he threw it at a Megistotherian, striking it dead on the head. He warped right at the blade and started slashing the beast continuously and finishing with a shove of his Key, discharging dark energy at it.

"Thanks!" She yelled and she used her strange binding rod at one of Gorgonopsid.

Hope struck a Gorgonopsid with his boomerang and cast a cure spell at Snow when a Megistotherian hit him square on the face. Lightning made a backflip and threw a huge fireball at the beast that hit Snow and charged at it with her gunblade filled with fire energy, killing it with a few blows. Snow ran ahead and punched a Gorgonopsid so hard that was sent back and then he ripped it with the huge spike of ice, killing it in the process. Yukio blocked a bite from a Gorgonopsid, instead, the beast bit his Keyblade as he put it in front of him as a shield. The last Megistotherian struck him from behind with a headbutt causing him to stagger.

Lightning ran and slashed the beast's head clean off just before it hit Yukio again. Yukio nodded at her his thanks and threw a barrage of ice shards at the remaining Gorgonopsid, finishing them off with the help from Hope's boomerang.

They were all gasping, somewhat tired from the combat. Snow hang back and stretched his arms while Sazh kneeled down and eventually sat on the floor. Hope seemed to stay back and talk to Vanille while Fang whistled at Yukio.

"Are you a l'Cie too, that was some serious magic back there." She seemed genuinely impressed.

"Probably is, makes you think what his focus is though." Lightning said aloud in a contemplating tone.

Yukio didn't answer as he checked himself for injuries, the creature's headbutt was strong, even for him. After a while, he caught sight of Fang's boots in his line of vision.

He lifted his face to meet her gaze. "I am not a l'Cie, whatever that is, all my powers come from this." He lifted his hand, demonstrating his Keyblade.

"Yeah, I saw how it appeared out of thin air when we were attacked, how it works exactly?" It was Hope who asked the question, though he was quick to lose his bravado when Yukio turned to glance at him.

"It'll really take a long time to tell you that, another time maybe." Yukio made his Key vanish and started speaking before they could barrage him with questions again. "Look, I would love to chitchat but I really need to start my search."

"Wait!" Lightning called out after him. "Look, I don't trust you, but you fought with us and for that I am grateful."

"We all are, so if there is a way to help you and maybe help us in turn, we'd do it," Vanille said, having neared them.

Sazh came too and looked tired. "We should return back to the camp, its noon and the suns about to go down."

"Sure."

Sazh nodded, thankful for Lightning's response. He walked to the others and said something before they headed back from where they came from.

"Come on, you look like you need a rest too," Fang said to Yukio and he nodded his agreement to her.

…KH:NH…

It took them a while to get to the area they had set camp and it had already darkened. Stars shone brightly in the sky. Yukio was staring at the night sky feeling slightly peckish, it wasn't unusual or something but his Keyblade was somewhat delaying it. He was capable of passing whole weeks without food and he would then start feeling the effects of hunger. Hope had left to go seek food along with a tiny Chocobo chic as Sazh called it. It had first appeared when they had settled down on Vallis Media, it was how Fang called the place they had set camp. The Chocobo chic had burst out of Sazh's hair and flew to Yukio's face. The boy's response was immediate, his hand had snapped forward and slapped it away. Sazh still gives him the sting eye for that. It was not his fault though, his experience with these beings was rather hostile, even if it was his fault that the older Chocoboes pecked him.

Snow stoked the campfire and he sat near to warm himself. Sazh did the same. Vanille and Fang were sitting next to each other. Lightning was by herself nearby and her eyes were always on the lookout for any danger.

Yukio could feel that they hadn't that of a close bond, save for Fang and Vanille. They were siblings after all, though from experience he knew that these meant nothing, he and his own brothers weren't close, far from it actually. Anyway, Snow from what he heard from their bickering, was Lightning's sister fiancé. The rest were actually strangers brought together by some kind of events he couldn't even get into himself. He didn't care to. They were means-to-an-end.

He was close by the fire himself and he reached with his hand and took a stray rock from the ground. With deft hands he threw it away, doing so with other rocks his hands reached.

"Stop it, it's annoying." Glared Lightning at his way.

He in response he took two rocks and threw them away, grinning underneath his helmet.

With an annoyed noise, she stood up and walked towards the fire and spread her hands to warm herself. Vanille walked from her place next to Fang and headed towards Yukio. She had a slight smile on her lips.

Seeing her coming nearer, Yukio abandoned his activity and looked at the young girl.

 _Ohhh, is she going to flirt, or is she going to be your chum-chummy pally?_

"Shut up…" He mumbled under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Asked Vanille as she sat beside Yukio.

He shook his head and glanced at her. "Nope. So, what's up?"

"Nothing, I was just curious, what are you looking for, here in Gran Pulse?"

 _Bah, this again, she just lost her interest, go poke some fun out of the pink chic, will ya?_

"Again, I told you, it's… personal."

"Hm, how about this, I will tell you about us, so you can trust us too?" She said in a sweet tone.

She was inquisitive and sly it seemed. Fang must have sent her to him.

"Okay…"

 _Oh, you melted in those puppy-dog eyes?_

"Well, as we told you, I, Fang and the rest are l'Cie…" She kept talking and talking.

The boy was glad for his helmet, otherwise, she would have seen how his eyes were slowly dropping from boredom. Her story made for the sob-stories in books, he would have been more sympathetic if he cared enough. In truth though, he just wanted to get the hell away from this World, just get the χ-piece and be done with it.

Yukio sighed. "Okay, my turn then, my best friend in the whole world is sick and she is in a hospital…" He felt his heart give a pang at that, it wasn't the truth, but it was close. "… her family and in extension mine, don't have enough money to get her a treatment. I tried through jobs and all sorts of stuff to gather money but they weren't enough. Even this thing can't do anything for her." He summoned his Key and glared at it. "Anyway, there's someone in… Cocoon…" He rolled the word in his mouth as he said it. "… who gives a lot of money for things brought to him from Gran Pulse. I found out about treasures and artifacts that are worth thousands if not millions, all scattered in this place. So there, I am searching for them so I can pay for her treatment."

Once he finished he felt a twisted sense of pride inside him. Lying was never that easy to him. He just made out a whole story, with only a few drops of truth. He looked at the sky again with a content grin.

"I am sorry to hear that, but I can't help thinking that this is illegal." Lightning commented and Yukio's response was a ' _no shit Sherlock'_ under his breath.

"Of course it's legal, as long as the authorities don't know about them," Yukio said simply and started counting stars.

"I hope you get to find the treasures you are looking for and save your friend," Sazh said and stared at him with understanding and what looked to be pity.

 _Was that pity?_

Who is he to pity me, he is just as unimportant as a dog's shit in the forest. He is a nothing in the grand scheme of things, he just wants to save his sorry ass and save just one ignorable human, regardless if that human was his son or not. Yukio was a Keybearer, dark or not, he had a role to play, he was going to save a whole world, millions upon millions of humans would be spared by him. So, who was this little shit to think he could pity the boy?

"Well, no worries, that's what heroes are for, you are going to be her hero when you save her." Snow exclaimed in a sudden burst of excitement standing up only to sit down when Lightning grasped his shoulder and shoved him down to sit.

"Calm down hero," She exclaimed in a snarky tone.

 _Promise me, you will be…_

 _Mikaela, I promise, I will become a…_

 _ **Hero**_

Yukio immediately stood up at the voice's intrusion to his own memories of her.

"What do you know… pitiful man you are." Yukio mumbled, making the blond man gasp while Fang frowned and Lightning glared at him.

He huffed at their reaction and left, his rage almost reaching its breaking point, lately, he had a strange spree of mood swings and the littlest of things could set him off. He just ran before he took it out on them and ruin his chance of finding the piece. A behemoth or two would have been useful right now, just to get some his energies in check. He didn't even respond when they yelled for him inquiring where he was going.

Once he was far enough he felt something weird. The presence of someone following him, it was different than the constant presence he felt from the voice, lighter, more natural and intimate, so to speak. But none the less he summoned his Keyblade for good measure.

He turned around and the sight made him stumble back lightly. It was a humanoid creature, similar to the Heartless, like the Neoshadows. It was different though, it was half the size of the Neoshadows and it lacked the endless hunger in the beady yellow-golden eyes all the Heartless had. Its eyes were red, pure red and unlike the Heartless counterpart, its eyes were set into an angry, irritable expression. Its body instead of black, it was blue and made sudden jerky movements. Arms and legs were pointy without any sort of distinctive digits while its head was triangular with blue lightning-bolt shaped antennae. The similarities with the Neoshadows though were enough for him to take the decision. He raised his weapon high.

 _No, don't!_

The voice was too late in its warning and the Keyblade met the creature and it vanished in a puff of darkness. The result was immediate, Yukio fell to his knees when he felt a piercing pain in his chest. The feeling stayed long and he let his Key fall, his hands clutched around his middle and torso as he fell on the ground curling in a ball.

 _Argh! Asshole, I told you not to!_

The voice snarled at him and gasped in an intake of pained breath. Yukio's pain though was numbed slowly as the voice got more pained. Slowly he stood to his feet, the crippling pain replaced with a numb throb in his chest. Weird, the Vampire from the previous world was hilariously unable to cause him pain strong enough to keep him down, but that tiny thing threw him to his knees just by its death.

"What… what the hell was that thing?" He asked incredulously the voice.

The voice was late to answer, it seemed to take an inhale of breath as if it actually needed to breathe. The response came in an empty emotionless tone, one that he'd expect from a Nobody and not from an irritable, cocky and snarky disembodied voice.

 _They are called Unversed, beings born purely out of negativity. I'll tell you later, now return back to the camp, you need their help just as they need yours._

"Fine, but I don't need their help." Yukio stubbornly said to the voice.

He trekked back to the camp back at Vallis Media.

…KH:NH…

Once he reached the camp he was welcomed with silence. The others had left and it seemed in a hurry too, since they left the fire burn and a few scraps of items they had before were lying around. They wouldn't have left him behind, they were all just a bunch of goody-two-shoes to leave him behind. He walked around searching for a clue they may have left before they left.

After finding nothing he decided to start searching for them, only see them coming all back. Snow was carrying Hope in his arms while Lightning was close. Sazh too seemed to be distressed from what happened while Vanille had a sad expression, Fang, on the other hand, seemed to contemplate something, seeming deep in thought. Even the little Chocobo seemed to flap around Hope and Snow worriedly.

Yukio crossed his arms over his chest and looked at them. Snow put down the boy and he took off his coat to cover Hope.

"Is he okay?" He feigned worry.

"He is unconscious, we found him, no thanks to you, collapsed near a river around here." Lightning said and pointed an accusatory finger at the black-clad boy.

"I am sorry for that, I should have been here, I just got stressed and I just kind of run." He said in his most sincere tone he could muster. "I am sorry."

"Whatever." It was her response as she nodded to Fang in a knowing manner.

The brunette twisted the spear in her grip. "Vanille, let's hunt for some food, the others will be on guard and resting."

Vanille spared a glance at Hope and nodded at her older sister. They marched towards the Archylte Steppe. Yukio thought for a minute before he decided that it was best to show some team spirit.

"I'll come too."

Fang only spared him a glance before she nodded. Yukio followed close to them, this could be actually educational. He could learn more about this peculiar world and he was actually curious to see what manner of creature was edible here. He also thought why they let Hope hunt for food in the first place since he was from Cocoon, he must have had a pretty sheltered life so far. There was no reason to believe that the small boy had experience with any of these creatures that larked in Gran Pulse. He knew that the boy was reserved and of few words but he couldn't find that reason enough to be sent on a mission that could and it did harm him. Were they crueler than they looked and guessed that they should get rid of the weakest link among them?

Yukio was actually impressed if that was it, maybe he should inquire them of that. The trio reached the expanse of grassland. His trained eyes could see clearly in the night. Living in a world of pure darkness and countless days of starless and moonless sky adapted his eyes to dark worlds.

Fang was kneeling behind a rock, same did Vanille and Yukio hang back a little. The two women seemed to scan the area for anything they could hunt. Vanille had told him that she was from Gran Pulse and later she woke up from what she called 'crystal sleep' in Cocoon. So Yukio decided that it was best to let the two of them decide the prey.

Fang nodded towards him and he crept closer. She pointed to four small bird-like creatures or penguin-like, it was the ones that reminded Yukio of the Nocturne Heartless but upon closer inspection, they were not so similar after all.

 _Ranga, it's what they are called, remember? From what I hear they have really good flesh too. Like a chicken._

If Yukio wasn't hungry, he would have hurled his insides out. These Ranga seemed disgusting.

 _Well, for them, a sheep or a chicken might seem disgusting. Remember idiot, different World, different customs._

"Whatever," Yukio mumbled and Fang shushed him.

She then proceeded to point at a Behemoth. She would have known his response if he wasn't wearing the helmet. He frowned and pointed to the Ranga, he concluded that it would be easier and faster. Besides, a Behemoth would most certainly cause him to go all-out, meaning that there won't be much left of it for them to roast and eat. Fang nodded to him and she raised her spear and Vanille got her binding rod ready.

Yukio in turn silently summoned his Key and proceeded to sneak behind the duo of girls and follow them. As they grew closer Fang motioned her left arm to the right and Vanille spread towards there, she did the same for the left side and Yukio immediately understood. They would circle the creatures before they could run away from their sudden fear.

 _Good, she seems smarter than her sister, don't you think?_

Yukio couldn't agree more, besides, only someone stupid would trust him as quickly as she did, Fang still threw those suspicious glances his way.

They had successfully circled the sleeping Ranga and Fang was quick to survey the area just in case someone else had the idea of preying on the sleeping creatures. Once she did she gave the all clear. She was the first to strike, the movement and her motion reminded him of a scorpion's sting, quick, precise and deadly. The first Ranga died from a spear through its small torso, the others didn't even realize what was going on before Vanille had bound another with her rod. It tried to leave but Fang's spear made short work of it. Yukio on the other had jumped at one slashing it upwards, using the Keyblade's sharp edges around the half cog-like teeth on the Key's shaft. It was enough to shred the creature's skin and stun it, while he used a spinning kick to strike the last Ranga and throw it at Fang's waiting spear.

After Fang finished off that one, she moved towards to the one Yukio had struck and stabbed it to its heart, killing it and putting a stop to its writhing.

"Your weapon isn't made for that, is it?" She mused the fact that his Keyblade's shape was so strange to her and unorthodox, noting that the shaft was full of strange shapes and a whole gear in the center.

He nodded towards her as he dematerialized it. He proceeded to snatch one of the Ranga and move back to their camp. Vanille took one, while Fang got the other two.

"One question, why sent Hope for food when its common knowledge he is the weakest and the most probable casualty?" He asked, not having forgotten his thoughts from before.

Fang paused to look at him, while the other girl gasped at the bluntness Yukio used to describe the silver-haired boy as weak.

"We all start weak." She simply commented and continued her way.

 _We all start weak, well, I didn't, but sure, yeah._

The voice snickered inside his head. Yukio refrained himself from answering in hopes that he won't seem like a complete lunatic, which he actually came to consider from time to time.

The camp was around the corner and the road was kind of tiring, but they got back. Their party there welcomed them with open arms, or was it the food they brought welcomed rather than them, or actually him. He had the idea that both Fang and Lightning were throwing angry and suspicious looks at his way.

An hour later and well into the night, they were all ready to sleep with a belly full of… Yukio stopped that train of thought. Even thinking that he ate that thing made him want to puke, even if the voice was right and it tasted like chicken. He looked to see the others yawning before Snow just laid down and closed his eyes, he had a small smile on his lips, as if he wasn't in the middle of nowhere trapped and his fiancée dead or whatever 'crystalized' meant. Vanille was the only other who was remotely smiling as she dozed off.

Yukio decided to meditate to pass the time, exactly how Lin taught him to. He stuck the Void Gear to the ground and he sat cross-legged in front of it. His eyes closed and he let his mind empty itself. It was easier than the previous times he meditated, faster too. It felt like unplugging his mind from the rest of the World. Every time he meditated, he was told that a dark aura surrounded him and the Key too, it formed a ring of dark energy around Yukio, as if it was protecting him from harm. Yukio could sense the hearts of others, vibrating with strength, but then he felt a weak one, it was slowly succumbing to its darkness. This one must be Hope's. He will be sure to use the boy's weakness against him in the future.

…KH:NH…

When Yukio felt his mind to start working and senses returned to him it was already morning, the bright hot sun was infiltrating his eyes. He opened them and looked to the clear sky. The others were sleeping with the exception in the form of Snow, who seemed to be his turn in guard duty.

"You know, I could feel the darkness, your darkness… Yukio… and so did Lightning and Fang." The man commented when he gazed at the boy. "They told me that something was wrong with you, that you just felt kind of off. They are suspicious of it, but I am not quick to judge, so, I'll give you a fair warning, harm any of my friends and I'll break your bones."

Yukio in turn huffed. "Nice pep-talk, Hero."

What the boy did next though surprised the man and himself. He lifted his hands to his helmet and took it off, it vanished from his grip in small dark flames. Yukio raised his head high, letting the sun soak his skin with its warmth. Yukio felt a gasp from behind him and he turned to look at Vanille. His crystal blue eyes wondering what she was surprised about.

"Wow, I will never understand why you hide your face behind that mask." She commented and smiled at him.

Yukio's first thoughts were to put back his helmet, but something prevented him from doing so.

 _Don't, they will trust you easier now._

"What?" Yukio blushed at Vanille's compliment. "Whatever, I'll put it back on later." He mumbled and turned his back on her only to come face-to-face with Lightning.

Her usual frown was almost gone when she looked at him, the suspicion was still there but it was dim in her eyes.

 _Did I tell you that I dig her?_

The voice said in his mind and Yukio felt himself smirk ever so slightly. The voice's first crush was the pink woman. He thought mockingly.

 _~O, there once was wolf, tall and strong and totally hung~_

Yukio's smirk immediately dropped and before he could retort back on his mind, he felt a strong slap on his shoulder. The force made him stumble and he glared at Fang's offending hand. She smirked bright at him, the woman had dropped all her suspicions on him and she moved towards Hope's sleeping form, checking to see if he was alright.

 _~The boy's tongue went dry, the boy's eyes bulged out to the sky, O, where those pecks and abs real or his wistful…~_

"Shut up." He grumbled to himself and Lightning looked at him.

~ _O, what could be hidden beneath these small clothes, you call them shorts but underneath its fat and long.~_

"Did you say something?" She inquired, stopping on her way to look at the road towards the Archylte Steppe.

"Nah, I just find it comforting to know that I can trust you guys enough to show my face." He said in his most fake-sincere tone he could muster, ignoring the singsongs the voice did.

 _Okay, I shut up now, besides, you only have eyes for our friendly neighbor Pyromaniac._

Yukio ignored the voice again and took his Keyblade from the ground, dematerializing it. He turns around to see that Sazh was returning from the Archylte, he must have gone there before he stopped his meditation. The elder man stopped shortly to look at Yukio and smiled, nodding his head. Sazh then proceeded to walk towards Lightning.

"The area ahead is filled with beasts. We should plan what we'll do next."

"Hm, I can't think of something now, Sazh." Lightning responded and seemed to be in deep thought.

"We could try Oerba, Fang's and mine hometown, but we have to cross the Archylte Steppe though" Vanille suggested and she received a nod from Fang who had returned and was standing at her sister's side.

"Yeah, you should." Came the weary voice of Hope.

He slowly lifted his body before he stood up. "You should go to Oerba, it's the only lead we have so far." He continued, his eyes were cast downwards.

"You?" It was Snow that said it. "You mean 'we'."

Hope shook his head. "No, you. It'll be best if you leave me behind, I only hold you back." His voice was defeated and Yukio reminded himself of the weak heart he felt when he meditated.

"Not gonna happen." Said Lightning with finality.

"We are not leaving you behind…"

"You are crazy and stupid then, I am the weakest of you all and a dead weight!" He cut Snow off with a sudden burst of anger and weak tears from his eyes.

Yukio had a tiny smirk on his lips and felt his hand move from his back, letting specks of dark energy float, almost invisible to the eye, towards Hope. The boy just needed a boost of darkness after all and soon his heart will be strong with it. But before he could do that, light burst from the ground knocking everyone down except Hope himself. From that burst, a gigantic armor rose. It was bulky and light radiated from it, its focus seemed to be Hope only.

"Is it?" Snow asked as he stood to his feet.

"Hope, this is your Eidolon!" Yelled Lightning and ran to stand to the boy's side, Fang did too.

"I can't fight that!" He yelled at them. "I am…"

Yukio ran to his side too, evading a massive hand that almost backslapped him. "Yes, you are weak." Hope gasped at Yukio's words. "Pathetic even, your mother died for you and because of your weakness you couldn't save her." Lightning's hand forcefully grasped Yukio's shoulder as if telling him to back off. "But listen, this weakness, these fears of yours. They are all in your mind, you and only you have the strength to overcome them. And only you can redeem your mother's memory, by succeeding in your journey, and remember, you aren't…"

Hope's eyes widened in panic as a hot white beam of light struck Yukio and threw him away. The Eidolon took another step towards him.

"You aren't alone Hope, you have us," Fang said as she stood to the boy's side.

Yukio had been thrown away and he crashed on a large rock with his head. In his eyes, everything was hazy and felt something wet on top of his head. He reached with his hand and his palms reddened by his own blood. He could hear the shouts of Sazh and Snow as they ran at him, worry in their faces. He could see the giant armor punch the ground where Lightning stood, causing tremors.

Soon though, everything turned black…

 _Rest, you… did well._

He wasn't sure if it was the voice or someone else saying this, he voted for the latter, the voice wasn't known to compliment him on anything, not without having it coming back with backlash as a package.

…KH:NH…

With a sudden intake of breath, he stood up from where he was lying. He glanced around him. The others were there too, congratulating Hope. It seemed the little critter had actually beat the thing. His heart shone too, brightly, brighter than most of his companions. How could that weak heart be so strong all of a sudden?

 _You didn't sense his heart, boy, it was your own._

Yukio's eyes widened to a ridiculous size, the voice was to his side and he actually felt a hand on his shoulder. He immediately turned his head just to see a shadow disappear. Then he felt another hand on his own. He turned to see Vanille, she was smiling at him.

"Hey, you are okay!" She exclaimed happily.

Worry, she was worried about him? He felt boiling rage inside himself, the words the voice said enraged him. His heart wasn't weak, it was powerful. It just couldn't be weak.

He didn't speak to her, he waited for her to tell him what happened. She explained to him that once he was knocked out, she healed him. She also commented that her magic didn't help him much and that he woke up for a brief moment but his eyes had changed, they were golden yellow. She didn't tell this to the others but she told him that he gave her a growl and a glare. She was actually terrified of him for a moment. She continued saying that he healed himself on his own and then before the fight ended with the Eidolon, or Alexander as it was called, he fell to the ground, unconscious again.

"And now, you woke up." She said and got a weary look in her eyes. "And your eyes are back to blue."

He winced when he looked at her eyes. "Sorry, it's the reason why I wear the helmet. And… yeah, that." He was at loss here, he had no idea what to say, he most certainly doesn't remember doing any of those things.

She smiled at him as if a big weight was lifted from her shoulders. "It's okay!" She exclaimed.

Just then the others saw them and they headed towards them. The two men of the group looked at him worriedly, Vanille told him that they didn't see him when he did those things, they pretty much left him at her care and went to watch the battle with the Eidolon. Lightning had a small contempt smile on her lips while Fang grinned brightly. Hope was the first to talk, with huge grateful eyes.

"Thank you, thank you for talking me out of my nonsense. And thank you for believing in me." He voiced his gratitude.

"I… well… you did the job, finished off that thing." He fumbled for words to say.

Hope nodded. "Yes, Alexander was there to test my strength and I passed, can you believe that?" He said incredulously.

For some strange reason, he found himself smiling too. The boy's brightness was robbing to him.

 _Well at least you made a friend, am I right?_

"Well, anyway, you have friends kiddo, you don't have to fight your fights alone." He said with a genuine smile on his lips.

At that, Lightning rubbed the boy's shoulders and Snow ruffled his hair. He chuckled lightly at the attention while Sazh was the one to direct their attention back to Yukio.

"You know, neither do you, we will help you search for anything that could help your friend back in Cocoon. You are a part of us now." He said truthfully to Yukio, letting him speechless.

The black-clad boy felt a pang in his heart, his previous outburst of rage gone, replaced with joy. It wasn't something he was accustomed to. Memories of his own friends back to his world flashed before his eyes and he felt a tear down from his eyes. He quickly wiped it away. The others grinned at him. The grin though vanished quickly, as they readied their weapons for something. At first, Yukio thought it was to strike him but then he noticed movement to his side.

Through the corner of his eye, he saw a bird-like creature. It was black and gray in color and it just stood there. It didn't have legs as normal birds, instead, it used a big and wide fleur-des-lis-shaped tail as a way to stand. Its ruby red eyes had a happy expression on them and they stared directly at him. Its head had five pointed crests. Without any kind of warning, it spread its wings startling Yukio who stumbled back and fell on his butt. Sazh was the one who shot at the creature and Vanille shot a thundara spell, evaporating the creature and causing Yukio the same immense pain he felt yesterday by that other being.

Yukio grunted and writhed in pain but only briefly, the pain subsided and numbed to nothing but a throb in his chest.

"Did it hurt you?" Ask Vanille worried and ran to his side.

He just waved her off. "I am okay." His tone hushed.

"Okay that was officially weird, what was that creature?" Fang asked and received only shrugs from the others.

"Well, it's gone, so… no worries." Snow said optimistically.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Hope exclaimed loudly. "Alexander gave me something, to safeguard it, but I don't know what exactly is, maybe something for us, the l'Cie" He wondered aloud and took a glowing piece of metal from his pouch.

The metal was golden, sharp on one side and from the other, it looked that a piece was missing, like it was part of a puzzle. Yukio's mind went haywire, it was a χ-piece. That Alexander thing had it the whole time.

"What is it?" Asked Lightning and took a glimpse.

"I dunno…"

"It's glowing. Warm too, I feel it radiate strength, why though?" Sazh asked and took a hold of it.

"It must be part of something," Fang concluded as she glanced at the piece that now rested in her hands.

"X-piece, it's called a χ-piece." He said after he swallowed the lump of saliva that gathered in his neck.

Fang handed it back to Hope and glanced at Yukio, the question clear in her eyes.

"It's a part of the χ-blade. I… it's what I've been looking for here." He said his eyes never letting it go. "Can I have it, it can save my friend! With it, I'll get the money I need." He exclaimed eagerly.

"Oh, I dunno, Alexander said to safeguard it but you are a true friend, so, here." Hope spread his hand to give the piece to him.

Just before Yukio's fingers touched it though, Hope's eyes flashed and he withdrew his hand stumbling back, his feet not knowing where to step. His eyes looked at Yukio in fear. The others looked at him weirdly.

Hope pointed an accusatory finger at the black-clad boy. "You lied, all of it lies. He was the piece to complete a weapon of mass destruction!"

"What are you talking about?" Yukio exclaimed nervously.

Lightning's hand was inching closer to her gunblade. The movement was tiny and easily mistaken for just her breathing.

"Just a second ago, I had a vision from the l'Cie mark, it showed something else, you, terror and darkness! You had yellow-eyes! You destroyed so many!" Hope wasn't making much of a sense but his eyes were filled with pure terror.

Fang pointed her spear at the black-clad boy and her eyes narrowed. "Is it true?"

Yukio shook his head. "I…"

"So it is." Lightning said as she unsheathed her weapon.

"Buddy… I warned you." Snow said and stepped in front of Hope as a guardian.

 _I am sorry, you need the piece and you need it now. The vision the boy saw, is pretty discriminating. So, I suggest you take it quickly and leave._

"But, I thought…" He spoke directly to the voice.

 _Look, you need it. Besides, you need to strengthen your heart don't you? If those were to be your friends then I am sorry to say this, but friends don't turn on you so quickly. I learned that from Ve…_

Yukio's eyes narrowed and he steeled himself. "I really wish this didn't have to come to a fight. But I really need that piece if I want to save the World."

"Yeah, right." Snow said and clenched his fists.

"I want to become a hero just like you do!" He tried to reason with them.

"You are off to a bad start kid," Fang said and got into a fighting stance.

"What do you know…" Growled Yukio and summoned his Void Gear.

 _They know nothing of what you have sacrificed and they will never do, but regardless of their ignorance, they are quick to judge you._

"It's on then." A dark aura surrounded him and he narrowed his now flashing golden-yellow eyes.

Snow rushed at Yukio, the boy was quick to sidestep and parry Fang's spear. He spun around and kicked Fang's head. She, though, ducked out of the way and rolled behind him. She struck with a wide arc with her spear but he warped a few feet ahead, she accidentally hit Snow who had crept close to Yukio.

The boy walked rather than rushed, he headed towards Lightning, in a calm and collected manner. The woman rushed at him, though he could sense her caution. She moved her gunblade in a stabbing motion and Yukio used his Key to shove the weapon the side and he proceeded to slash at her. Lightning fell on the ground in a roll and jumped behind him, trying to slash him downward. Their blades met with a metallic clunk.

Sazh from behind him pointed with his pistols and started to shoot, only for his bullets to bounce off an invisible wall.

"What the…?" Sazh exclaimed.

Vanille from behind him cast a 'blizzara' spell. Yukio made a backflip, getting away from Lightning's sword. Vanille's spell though hit him square in the back. But, just as the previous night with the Navidon's attack, he absorbed the ice. In turn, Yukio shot at her with a barrage of 'blizzaga' spells. The large ice shards almost hit her, had Snow not put himself in front of them.

"Argh!" Snow cried out as the ice froze his legs and left arm.

Yukio was about to charge and finish him off, but at the last moment jump to the side he evaded Fang's spear from stabbing him. Yukio dashed ahead and slashed repeatedly at her making her back away from the force of his strikes. Lightning quickly struck him from behind. It looked like she successfully stabbed him but then his form flickered and vanished. It was only an afterimage of Yukio. The real one was above her, he slashed her in a downward arc and continued with an ice shard from a 'blizzaga' spell. He may have slashed her, making her gasp in pain, but she dodged out of the shard's way.

From the side, Snow punched Yukio, shoving him back and he continued with an uppercut knocking him down. Yukio was surprised that the man got out of his frozen shackles. The boy found himself giggling at that. Snow was startled by the reaction and he was caught by surprise by Yukio's sudden charge of dark energy, knocking him away with a small explosion.

Before Snow could stand back up, Yukio punched him on the head and then grasped his neck and threw him away. He warped behind Vanille who had cast a 'thundara' spell at his previous location. The thunder hit his afterimage as she didn't have enough time to evade the kick on her head, which knocked her clean of her feet.

Jumping continuously to the side he evaded Sazh's shots and retaliated by charging his Keyblade with fire and then shooting a large fireball, which, just before it hit him it burst into three smaller but equally powerful fireballs. The explosion left him a few feet away and he was soon unconscious.

Yukio before he could react felt a long slash on his back, Lightning had succeeded in striking him. He gasped in slight pain and he hissed in anger.

" _ **I really liked you pink, now it's over for you**_." Yukio snarled at her and charged.

Their blades met with a metallic clunk, he continued to use fast and quick slashes in small arcs, giving Lightning no room for retaliation. The woman though was good, too good for her own good. Just as she gave her no room, so did she, they were locked in one static back and forth. Fang was the one to break them up when she span he spear and struck Yukio on his side, making a big gash.

The boy grunted and was about to charge at her when a boomerang hit him on the head. He gasped in pain and before he could react a blast of fire knocked him off his feet. Though he was quick to get back up, he charged at Hope who had stayed behind guarding the piece. A few feet before he reached him, Fang intercepted him and his Key struck her spear with all his might, leaving a blast of dark energy in its wake. The woman was flung back, but she stood and run at him. He dashed ahead to meet her, but just before they met he warped behind her and continued towards Hope. Fang was left with striking an afterimage. Again just before he reached the silver-haired boy, Lightning got in his way and lifted her gunblade, shooting bullets at Yukio. The black-clad boy dove to the ground and seemed to melt into it, like a shadow. He quickly passed her and erupted from the ground with his Keyblade striking Hope upwards in an upwards arc. The smaller boy fell to the ground. The wound the Keyblade inflicted was long and seemed deep too.

"NO!" Yelled Lightning and she used a rose-shaped and posy-pink colored crystal.

The crystal shone and she threw it high, Fang jumped up and shattered the crystal with her spear. Once it was shattered light burst out and a huge knight appeared. His helmet was horned and white-gold in color, just like the rest of his armor. He had a white cape on his back. On one hand, he held an enormous double-sided serrated s-shaped sword and on his other a shield.

"Odin, cut him down!"

Yukio knew that he wouldn't be able to fight both Fang, Lightning and that thing. The horned-knight after Lightning's yell rushed at Yukio who at the last minute took Hope's body as a shield and put him in front of the attack. The enormous knight stopped just before he got to strike the boy and jumped back.

Yukio was gripping the boy by his neck and was lifting him high. "I'll be taking that…" He took the piece from the boy's still clenched fist.

"Let. Hope. Go!" Lightning growled in anger.

"As you wish." He pushed the boy ahead, which fell on the ground unconscious.

The large knight charged again now that the target was clear and his blade came inches from cutting down Yukio, but the boy managed to vanish inside a Corridor of Darkness, leaving behind only traces of black tendrils, slowly vanishing to nothing.

…KH:NH…

The black-clad boy walked into the swirling darkness of the Corridors feeling his head heavy. Once he exited the Corridors and found himself in his room inside the castle he called home, he fell on his bed, tired and bloody from the fight.

 _You did well, you know, I think it's time to talk about the Unversed._

Snow lifted himself, wincing in pain from the wounds he had sustained and looked straight at the being that sat on his frozen chair.

 _Let me heal you._

The being said in a soft voice and Snow immediately felt his wounds close. When the boy glanced at the being again, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

 _Oh, Snow, we have known each other for a long time and that isn't even your real name, is it?_

Snow looked weary and relieved at the same time. His eyes were on the being, it wore an identical organic bodysuit to his. The only difference was that the suit the being wore was black with red vein-like patterns, while his were still blue. The creature's face black and looked almost amorphous, there were no clear features or any indication for how he looked exactly but only two pure-blood red eyes. The same eyes he encountered with the two Unversed creatures. Those eyes though were round and more humane in contrast of the Unversed.

 _Time to have a chat you and I._

The being stood from its seat and walked towards Snow. The boy didn't react, he just watched as the creature neared him.

 _I can help you find out what happened._

* * *

Author's notes...

I know that Kingdom Hearts 3 is around the corner (hopefully its soon) so let's just say that this fanfic's version of ending for the Xehanort Saga is AU, completely AU.

So moving from this, I want to apologize for screwing Final Fantasy XIII so much. I mean I knew the 70% of what was actually going on but I had years to play the game and I don't remember much. Also, I didn't make any reference on the Paradigms because that would require a lot of thinking on my part and a lot of refreshing on the games actual mechanics. I choose the setting they met Snow because, its pretty much the only one I could use in my opinion, without over-complicating the game's story any more than I already had too.

I used a vision, like the one when they got their focus, and because Fal'Cie are powerful and somewhat god-like beings, they would most certainly feel or know what the χ-blade is and what it is capable of.

One last thing, sorry for not updating sooner, i just don't have much of a free time anymore.

Thank you for reading! 3


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